The Search for a New Coach: A ‘Midas Touch’ Needed to Secure Olympic Gold
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 22 (BERNAMA) – The successor to Tan Bin Shen as the national men’s doubles coach must possess the ‘Midas touch’ to secure the elusive Olympic gold for Malaysia at Los Angeles 2028 (LA28), said former national badminton great Datuk Razif Sidek.
Razif said Bin Shen had proven his worth and it is now incumbent on the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) to find a coach who could match or even surpass his achievements.
"We have to thank Bin Shen for his good work, including raising the world rankings of our players.
"Now BAM have no choice but to find a better coach. It doesn’t matter which country the coach is from, as our ultimate aim is to clinch gold at the 2028 Olympic Games," he told Bernama when contacted today.
The Challenge Ahead
Last Friday, BAM announced that Bin Shen will resign on Jan 13 after serving the national body since December 2020.
Former international Bin Shen played an instrumental role in raising the standard of several men’s doubles pairs, including helping Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik secure Malaysia’s first-ever world title in 2022.
Media reports said the 40-year-old would be joining the Hong Kong national team coaching stable under former world number one Wong Choong Hann in February, alongside two other Malaysians, Jeremy Gan and Loh Wei Sheng.
The Search for a New Coach
Razif declined to name his preferred candidate for the national men’s doubles coaching job, stressing that what is important is building trust between the new coach, the players and BAM management.
"It’s up to BAM whether to pick Herry Iman Pierngadi, Mathias Boe or Hendra Setiawan. Apart from building trust, players should also adapt to the training system and communication style (of the new coach)," he said.
Herry, fondly known as Herry IP, recently called it a day with the All-Indonesia Badminton Association.
The 62-year-old produced several world-class pairs, including former Olympic champions Tony Gunawan-Candra Wijaya and Hendra Setiawan-Markis Kido, in his 25-year service with Indonesia.
Boe, who is now with India’s national team, is the man behind Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty, who are among the world’s top men’s doubles pairs.
On the other hand, Setiawan, who formed a formidable partnership with Mohammad Ahsan, announced that he will hang up his racquet after the Indonesia Masters next month.
The Departure of Local Coaches
Meanwhile, former national men’s doubles shuttler Koo Kien Keat said the departure of local coaches to pursue glory on foreign soil is somewhat ‘funny’.
The 2006 Asian Games gold medallist was perplexed as to why BAM seemed to prioritise foreign coaches rather than appointing former national badminton legends to hold the fort at the Academy Badminton Malaysia, Bukit Kiara.
Based on the current coaching set-up, Rosman Razak is the only Malaysian head coach, guiding the women’s doubles players, while the others are foreign coaches, namely Denmark’s Kenneth Jonassen (singles) and Nova Widianto of Indonesia (mixed doubles).
Among Malaysian coaches serving foreign teams are Lee Wan Wah in Japan, Wong Pei Tty in Singapore, and Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin in Ireland.
Conclusion
The search for a new coach is on, and it is crucial that BAM finds someone with the ‘Midas touch’ to lead the national men’s doubles team to Olympic gold at LA28. The onus is on BAM to make the right decision, and we can only hope that they succeed in their quest for glory.
FAQs
Q: Who is the current national men’s doubles coach?
A: Tan Bin Shen will resign on Jan 13, 2023.
Q: Who are the potential candidates to replace Bin Shen?
A: Herry Iman Pierngadi, Mathias Boe, and Hendra Setiawan are among the top contenders.
Q: Why is it important to find a new coach with the ‘Midas touch’?
A: The new coach must have the ability to lead the national men’s doubles team to Olympic gold at LA28.
Q: What is the current coaching set-up for the national badminton teams?
A: Rosman Razak is the only Malaysian head coach, guiding the women’s doubles players, while the others are foreign coaches.