KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian men's hockey team swept two jewels at the 2022 National Sports Awards in Subang Jaya today.
National coach Arul Selvaraj was named the male coach of the year, while the Speedy Tigers won men's team of the year award.
The national team won the Azlan Shah Cup for the first time and finished runners-up at the Asia Cup in Jakarta last year.
Their second-place finish in Jakarta saw them qualify for the World Cup in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela, India, in January this year.
Arul thanked his 'godfathers' who nurtured his talent as a national player and then a coach.
"My road has been full of sacrifices. I had to leave my children and wife in Dublin to accept an offer from Malaysian Hockey Confederation president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal to coach the national team.
"Many thanks to him for having faith in me. Special thanks to Datuk Ahmad Najmi Razak (national team chairman) and team manager Datuk Mirnawan Nawawi for their support," said Arul, who last played for Malaysia at the 1998 Utrecht World Cup.
Arul also thanked his Segamat High School coach Perpinder Singh for helping him become a polished player.
And he also thanked German coach Paul Lissek for developing his coaching skills.
"Cikgu Perpinder taught me the basics and discipline in hockey, which I still use today. Lissek gave me a break in coaching when he took me in as his national team assistant. I am indebted to both of them," said Arul.
Arul was the assistant coach to Lissek in Malaysia before he moved to South Africa and later Ireland to assist Paul Revington.
The coach said his most challenging moment was during the Covid-19 period.
"It was tough during Covid-19 as my players had to train remotely. However, the team still qualified for the World Cup," he added.
"The next target is to qualify for the Paris Olympics next year. We aim to win the Asian Games gold medal in Hangzhou in September for the Olympic ticket.
"We also have the Olympic qualifiers in January," said Arul, who will get a chance to test his players against Asian Games teams at the Asian Champions Trophy in Chennai on Aug 3-12.