Malaysian Ong Beng Hee, the 35-year-old from Penang who reached a career high World No.7 on the men’s world tour, has announced his retirement from competitive action on the PSA World Tour.

A winner of 15 PSA Titles, Beng Hee turned professional in 1996 and went on to compete in a remarkable 202 tournaments during his career. Alongside his exploits on the PSA World Tour, Beng Hee achieved success representing Malaysia on the world scene, winning two Asian Games Gold Medals and winning a silver medal at the 2002 Commonwealth Games.

It is with his national association that he will remain involved in the sport he loves, having taken up a position as a coach with the Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia (SRAM) as he hopes to guide a new generation of Malaysian stars to the top of the squash ladder.

“Ong Beng Hee has been a tremendous servant to the sport of squash during the past 20 years and he will be sorely missed on the PSA World Tour,” said PSA Chief Executive Alex Gough.

“A perfect sportsman on the court and a gentleman off it, Beng Hee has been an inspiration to young squash players the world over and on behalf of everyone involved in professional squash I would like to wish him all the best in his future endeavours.”

After hearing of Beng Hee’s decision a series of the sport’s top players took to social media to show their support to one of the most liked characters on tour.