Former Malaysian hockey player, Kevin Christopher Nunis @ Muhammad Khairy Nunis Abdullah died today at Hospital Kuala Lumpur after a long illness.
Nunis, who would have turned 66 on Sept 18, was a member of the national juniors team who finished fourth at the 1979 Junior World Cup in Paris, France.
He went on to play in the 1982 World Cup and 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, several Southeast Asia Games and the Asian Games.
He retired from the international scene in 1989 after earning over 100 caps for Malaysia.
Domestically, he represented his home state, Negeri Sembilan, Selangor and Kuala Lumpur in the Tun Razak Cup, and for several clubs in the Malaysia Hockey League.
He later went into coaching and guided Pahang to the 1996 Malaysia Games gold medal – the only time the East coast claimed top spot.
Nunis also coached various clubs in the Malaysia Hockey League and had stints in Terengganu, Negeri Sembilan, and Singapore.
In February 2021, he was appointed coach of the National Hockey Development Programme, a position he held until his death.
Kevin is survived by his wife Rahimah Awang, daughter, Yasmin Natasha, two sons Mohd Daniel and Mohd Karl Iskandar, son-in-law Mohamad Yashar Yatim, daughter-in-law Nurul Nadia Kudus and three grandchildren – Aariz Iman, Ayra Arissa, Nayla Dahlia.
Aariz Iman, Ayra Arissa are following in Nunis’ footsteps and are members of their school’s hockey team.
Aariz Iman said he hopes to become a national player “just like my tokpa (grandfather).”