Amin, from mediocre to role model

16/07/2003

MOHAMED Amin Rahim, a hard-working lad who made his debut in the 1999 Sea
Games, is a model example of the kind of player Malaysian hockey yearns
for in these trying times.
Amin started off an average player. Despite being in the 2002 Kuala
Lumpur World Cup training squad, he was dropped because, other than being
hard-working, there was nothing special about his game.
Many in his shoes would have stayed away from the pitch, but Amin never
gave up and kept attending training.
His persistence paid off and he got his break when a handful of seasoned
players retired just before the Busan Asian Games, leaving chief coach
Paul Lissek with no option but to call-up Amin.
"Amin is always early for training and his hard-working attitude won me
over," said Lissek.
And now he is in South Africa to help Malaysia clinch a Champions Trophy
berth for only the second time.
Amin, who has been capped 50 times, went to Busan and helped Malaysia
win an Asian Games bronze medal after a lapse of 12 years.
Such was the improvement Amin showed that he was among one of four
Malaysian players who were named to the Asian All Stars team at the end of
the Asian Games. The others were skipper S. Kuhan, midfielder K. Keevan
Raj and forward Chua Boon Huat.
Amin's fortunes turned for the better when he played for Bank Simpanan
Nasional in the Malaysia Hockey League last year, and coach C.
Paramalingam used him in penalty corners alongside Pakistani wizard Sohail
Abbas.
"That was the turning point in my playing career. I picked up a few
pointers from Sohail and now I have been entrusted to take penalty corners
and strokes during matches," said Amin.
Against China in the last friendly, Malaysia won a penalty stroke.
Amin's subsequent flick was so powerful that many at the Tun Razak Stadium
thought the ball had gone out, only to realise that the ball had torn the
side netting when the umpire blew for goal.
A one-time nobody, Amin is now together with Kuhan, a key figure when it
comes to penalty corner executions.
In fact, Amin scored a penalty corner goal in the last Azlan Shah Cup,
when Kuhan notched a first by not scoring a single goal in the tournament.
(END)