KUALA LUMPUR: Former national athletics coach Leo Leslie Armstrong died in a hospital in Petaling Jaya yesterday morning. He was 82.

His daughter, Sharon Armstrong, said Armstrong died of cancer.

“We found out about my father’s cancer this year. His death is quite shocking,” she said when contacted by Bernama today.

Sharon said a three-day wake will be held at St Ignatius Church in Petaling Jaya beginning tomorrow. He will be cremated at the MBPJ Crematorium in Kg Tunku, Petaling Jaya on Tuesday.

Apart from being a sprint coach, Armstrong once served as the Kuala Lumpur Federal Territory Athletics Association president.

Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) vice-president Datuk Mumtaz Jaafar, who was one of Armstrong’s trainees, said his passing is a great loss to the nation’s sports scene.

“He was one of the coaches of the national sprint squad at that time. He was very gentle and focused; he knew what he was doing and had excellent coaching experience.

“He was a very humble person and an effective coach,
” she said.

Former national men’s 400 metres champion K. Jayabalan described Armstrong as a kind individual who was well-known among national athletes at that time.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency