Chong Wei pleads for patience with Jonassen as he needs time to meet goals
PETALING JAYA: Badminton legend Datuk Seri Lee Chong Wei has called for patience and support for national singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen as he works to develop world-class singles players.
Jonassen, who took up the role about eight months ago, came in with a strong reputation, having previously coached Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen and world No. 3 Anders Antonsen. Upon his appointment, he was entrusted with a major task, to groom a player capable of delivering Malaysia's first Olympic gold at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
However, he is already facing pressure as the current batch of men's and women's singles players in the national set-up have yet to deliver convincing results.
Leong Jun Hao, for instance, has climbed slightly to No. 24 in the world rankings this week and has managed to upset a few top players, but his performances remain inconsistent and he has yet to achieve a breakthrough this year.
The situation is similar in the women's singles camp, which is currently led by national No. 1 K. Letshanaa.
Chong Wei, however, has stepped up in defence of the Danish coach, saying Jonassen has a clear vision and good ideas for improving the singles department but the process will take time.
Ideally, Chong Wei believes Jonassen should be given a full Olympic cycle to implement his training programme and show whether it can produce the desired results.
'I've met him and we discussed how we can help our top singles players. He has some very good ideas.
'But we need to give him time — not a month, not even a year. He should be given at least one full cycle.
'That means four years. Only then can he implement his plans and hopefully deliver the results we want. He's only been here for less than six months.
'It's like raising a child — even learning to walk takes a year. Producing a world champion takes far longer," said Chong Wei.
Chong Wei shared his thoughts when met by reporters after being conferred the Darjah Gemilang Pangkuan Negeri (DGPN), which carries the title Datuk Seri, during the 2025 Penang State Awards ceremony held in conjunction with the 84th birthday celebration of Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Ramli Ngah Talib yesterday.
Also honoured was Badminton Association of Malaysia president Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz, who received the Darjah Panglima Pangkuan Negeri (DPPN), which also carries the title Datuk Seri.
Sports Commissioner Suhardi Alias was among the recipients of the Darjah Setia Pangkuan Negeri (DSPN), which comes with the title Datuk.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
7 hours ago
- The Star
Coach Herry brings revival and hopes rise for men's doubles world title
Doubles soar: (From left) Yap Roy King, coach Herry and Wan Arif Wan Junaidi. - Roy King's Instagram PETALING JAYA: With a champion's mindset and a proven track record, legendary coach Herry Iman Pierngadi is reshaping Malaysia's men's doubles fortunes – just in time for the World Championships in Paris from Aug 25-31. Since taking charge in February from Tan Bin Shen, the Indonesian tactician has wasted no time leaving his mark, guiding Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun, and Yap Roy King-Wan Arif Wan Junaidi to title wins. All three pairs have made the cut for the world meet together with professionals Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, fulfilling the maximum representation in the event. In the past, there used to be only one or two titles delivered by the men's doubles in a year and usually the same pair would win it. But under Herry, the overall depth of the men's doubles in the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) has improved. The recent maiden win by Roy King-Arif in the Macau Open on Sunday showed that even the younger pairs in the team are all fired up. With better results and players showing more confidence in their game, it is a clear sign that Malaysia's chase for glory is gaining real momentum. Herry believes the strong form shown by the pairs bodes well for Malaysia's chances of capturing gold in the men's doubles in Paris. "It's good that we have four pairs heading to the World Championships in good form," said Herry. "When compared to other countries, Malaysia have a good chance to win the men's doubles title. "The pairs under me are beginning to adapt to my coaching style and philosophy. "When I first arrived, it was normal for the players to take some time to adapt. "There would be ups and downs, and we saw it with all the pairs. Now, they are getting better." Before Roy King-Arif, world No. 2 Aaron-Wooi Yik had captured gold in the Asian Championships for the first time and went on to add the Thailand Open and Singapore Open to their list of honours, besides finishing runners-up in the China Open and Malaysian Masters. World No. 7 Wei Chong-Kai Wun beat their teammates to win the Malaysian tourney to go with the Indonesian Masters crown. Herry can expect more than one pair to fight for honours at the world meet. In 2022, Aaron-Wooi Yik created history when they became the first Malaysian shuttlers to clinch the world title in Tokyo. The pair then won bronze in the last edition in 2023 in Copenhagen. While Malaysia have been overly reliant on Aaron-Wooi Yik in the past, Sze Fei-Izzuddin and Wei Chong-Kai Wun's improvement raises hopes that they could fight for a medal too this time. Both pairs will also have a better chance this time as being ranked in the world's top eight means that they will have an easier path to the quarter-finals. Despite being underdogs, debutants Roy King-Arif too will not be short of confidence after their triumph in Macau and will be hoping to spring a surprise. The seedings for the prestigious meet will be released on Friday while the draw will be out on Aug 13.
The Sun
7 hours ago
- The Sun
Macau Open: Dripping water fails to wash away Wan Arif's maiden tour title
KUALA LUMPUR: 'I even had to battle through water dripping from above.' That was how national men's doubles player Wan Arif Wan Junaidi summed up his gritty performance after finally clinching his first BWF World Tour title with partner Yap Roy King at the 2025 Macau Open yesterday. The fourth-seeded Malaysians stunned Indonesia's top seeds Sabar Karyaman Gutama-Moh Reza Pahlevi Isfahani 22-20, 21-18 in the Super 300 final held at the Macao East Asian Games Dome. Despite being distracted by water dripping from the roof, the 23-year-old Wan Arif managed to overcome the unusual challenge to seal a memorable day for both himself and Roy King. 'During the final, water was dripping even when I served, during rallies and while smashing — it was falling on my head. But I told myself, if I'm affected, so too are my opponents. So I just tried to focus point by point,' he said in an audio message shared by the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) today. The fifth meeting between the two pairs had to be stopped frequently due to the dripping water from the roof, which made the court surface slippery and dangerous. Wan Arif was also pleased to avenge their previous defeat to Sabar and Moh Reza in the final of the 2024 Madrid Spain Masters, where they lost 18-21, 21-17, 19-21. He added that he and Roy King have adapted better to the gameplay and tactical approach introduced by national men's doubles head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi, six months after the high-profile Indonesian coach began his stint with Malaysia. Meanwhile, Herry, when contacted by Bernama, challenged Wan Arif-Roy King to maintain consistency in upcoming tournaments. He also expressed confidence that the duo's breakthrough title could boost their confidence heading into the 2025 World Championships, scheduled to be held in Paris from Aug 25–31. In a separate development, national men's singles shuttler Justin Hoh said his loss to Indonesia's Alwi Farhan at 15-21, 5-21 in the same tournament's final served as a valuable lesson in patience and game strategy improvement. Despite Justin falling short of clinching his first World Tour title, national singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen remained pleased with the 21-year-old's maturity and urged him to bounce back stronger in the future.- BERNAMA
New Straits Times
9 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Pekan: Focus on development, field fresh faces at the Sea Games
KUALA LUMPUR: Sports analyst Datuk Dr Pekan Ramli hopes Malaysia Aquatics (MAS) will be brave enough to field a new generation of divers at the Thailand Sea Games (Dec 9-20). Pekan praised MAS and the National Sports Council (NSC) for introducing a blueprint (2024-2028) to revive Malaysia diving, which results-wise has been in decline in recent years. He, however, stressed that they must fully focus on developing the next generation of divers and avoid falling back on senior divers to produce short-term results for them. "The Thailand Sea Games will give us a good indication of how far we have progressed over the last two years in terms of development," said Pekan recently. "It is not just about results, it will be a good opportunity to show everyone the new faces we have and give these young divers a chance to gain valuable experience. "There may be people who feel that our senior divers can still contribute, however, if you allow them to compete at the Sea Games, you will be taking away a slot from the younger ones whom we are hoping to excel in bigger competitions over the next few years. "Though experience is important, it is not everything in diving. "In diving, athletes tend to peak at a younger age, typically from their mid to late teens when they are less injury-prone and have greater flexibility. "We should not be depending on seniors such as Pandelela Rinong to be winning medals for us anymore. She has already given us so much over the years and has nothing left to prove. We must thank her for her contributions." Pandelela, a two-time Olympic medallist, was forced to withdraw from women's 10m platform synchronised (with Lee Yiat Qing) due to a shoulder injury at the Singapore World Championships last week and subsequently sat out the 10m platform individual. Elvis Clement-Enrique Harold achieved a best-ever seventh-place finish for Malaysia in the men's 10m platform synchronised final but it was otherwise a quiet outing for the national diving squad in Singapore. MAS and NSC had come up with the 2024-2028 blueprint early last year in a bid to revive Malaysian diving. Under the blueprint, a fast track programme to develop young divers was set up while previously dormant states have also been given the support to revive their programmes. Coaching education has also been boosted to produce more qualified coaches in the country. A total of four gold medals will be on offer in diving at the Thailand Sea Games in the men's 3 metre springboard individual and synchronised, men's 1m springboard individual as well as the women's platform synchronised. MAS had sent senior divers to the 2019 Manila Sea Games, where Malaysia swept all four gold, and the Hanoi Sea Games, where they swept all eight gold. Second-tier and junior divers were sent to represent the country at the 2023 Phnom Penh games where Malaysia won all four gold on offer. The Thailand Sea Games will be the first edition of the Sea Games since the new MAS committee took office in the second half of 2023.
