NATIONAL track cycling head coach John Beasley would like his former charge, Fatehah Mustapa, to experience what life is like outside of cycling before deciding if coaching is what she really wants to do.
After 17 years in the sport, Fatehah, 31, announced her retirement from competitive cycling on Saturday.
Beasley said retirement was something that Fatehah had been contemplating for a while.
The Terengganu-born rider, who rose up the ranks along with Azizulhasni Awang, spent 11 years training under Beasley in Melbourne between 2007-2018.
“Fatehah has been wrestling with this decision for some time, so it doesn’t come as a shock to me.
“I am in contact with Fatehah and doing my best to support her through this hard time,” said Beasley.
“It is never an easy decision for an elite athlete to make as pretty much all of Fatehah’s adult life has been (based) around being an athlete.
“That is pretty much all she knows, so it is an extremely scary time for her right now.
“Fatehah was a great Malaysian female athlete, a role model for others to follow. Fatehah was one of the best keirin cyclists in the world for many years and she achieved many accolades.
“I just hope that people will get behind Fatehah now and extend a helping hand to help the former cyclist into the next stage of her life.
“This is the scariest time of her life, and I am hoping that someone will step up and help Fatehah through this period.”
Beasley added that it would be beneficial for Fatehah to experience what life is like outside of cycling before she commits to becoming a coach.
The Malaysian National Cycling Federation have said they are keen on offering Fatehah a coaching role in the national setup.
“I have had some conversations with Fatehah on coaching,” added Beasley.
“I did also say to Fatehah that if a career in coaching is something she was contemplating, then I would like her to get out of the bubble she has lived in for the past 13 years (as an elite rider) and experience life outside of the sport for a little while.
“This is where I would like her to spend some time in the workforce and learn more skills.
“And if Fatehah still has a burning passion to be a coach and it is something she would like to do, then I would love to help her.
“I believe Fatehah would make a really good coach if that is really what her passion is.
“However, I believe the only way Fatehah will really know that is if she steps away from working in the sport for a little while, clear the head and think about what she would really like to achieve out of her life, moving on from being an athlete.”
Fatehah and Azizulhasni, who both consider Beasley a father-figure, paid tribute to the Australian on their social media accounts as Beasley celebrated his 58th birthday on Monday.