PETALING JAYA: Former national hockey player Yahya Atan has passed away at the age of 67.

       The former Olympian took his last breath at 6.45pm at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital.

       He was admitted last week for a stroke, and since then, he was under specialist care until his death.

       The late Yahya coached the Sabah Women’s team in the ongoing Malaysian Hockey League.

       Fondly known as Pak Ya among the hockey fraternity, he competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, where the Malaysian team came in 11th.

       After his playing career, he went into coaching in the 1990s.

       Together with Stephen Van Huizen, he was instrumental in guiding the national team to the Olympics in Sydney 2000, a feat that has remained elusive for two decades now.

       He also coached the national junior team and also the Women’s team.

       Recently, he was tasked to develop Sabah hockey with grassroots programmes.