Latest news with #TatMeng
The Star
a day ago
- Sport
- The Star
Poor results at Asian Juniors get ex-coaches Tat Meng and Mee Fen all worried
PETALING JAYA: Former coaches Wong Tat Meng and Ng Mee Fen have called for an honest review into the shuttlers' poor performance at the Asian Junior Championships in Solo, Indonesia. Malaysia came home empty-handed from the tournament which ended on Sunday, a repeat of their 2023 edition in Yogyakarta. Tat Meng, who was singles coach in the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) from 2003 to 2011 and 2013 to 2016 and Mee Fen, who was a junior coach in the national team for four years, expressed their concern via social media over the disappointing outing, especially in the singles. None of the players in the boys' and girls' singles even made it to the quarter-finals in the individual event. 'Am I the only one who wonders what happened to our junior players' performance in the Asian Junior meet in Solo?' questioned Mee Fen. 'It's worrisome especially in the singles department. Most of our current senior players can play for another Olympic cycle but we have yet to identify the junior players who can replace the seniors in five years' time. 'Challenging times ahead for the juniors and hopefully actions will be taken to improve the standard of the players before it's too late.' Tat Meng, who responded to Mee Fen's post, said: 'Thanks for raising this. You're definitely not the only one concerned. 'I'm actually here in Solo watching the Asian Junior meet and I have to say, it was disappointing and quite sad to see that none of our singles players made it to the quarter-finals. 'Even though I'm no longer based in Malaysia, I still care deeply, especially having been part of the national coaching set-up in the past. 'It really makes me question what has been going wrong with our junior development system for the past how many years? I don't know. 'We have talent, no doubt, but something fundamental isn't translating into results at the international level. 'It's time for an honest review and a clear long-term direction. Otherwise, we risk an even more serious gap in our singles department moving forward,' added Tat Meng. Siti Zulaikha Azmi offered the one bright spot for the girls' singles when she won bronze in last year's Asian Juniors but the last boys' singles medallist for Malaysia was Leong Jun Hao, who captured gold in 2017. In the girls' singles, Goh Jin Wei was the last Malaysian to win a medal when she triumphed in 2018.
New Straits Times
a day ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Tat Meng sounds alarm over Malaysia's badminton future
KUALA LUMPUR: Former national coach Wong Tat Meng has raised the alarm over Malaysia's badminton future following a dismal showing at the recent Asian Junior Championships in Solo, Indonesia. A lot of people couldn't believe the results — not one Malaysian shuttler made it to the quarter-finals of the singles events there. How could this be when Malaysia's senior players have been shinning on the World Tour? Tat Meng, who guided Lee Zii Jia to the 2024 Olympics bronze and played a key role in South Korean women's singles Olympic champion An Se Young's formative years, said he was especially worried about Malaysia's glaring weakness in the singles. He warned that Malaysian badminton future looks bleak if serious action is not taken. "I was actually here in Solo watching the Asian Junior Championships, and I have to say, it was disappointing and quite sad to see that none of our Malaysian singles players — boys or girls — made it to the quarter-finals," posted Tat Meng on Instagram today. "Even though I'm no longer based in Malaysia, I still care deeply — especially having been part of the national coaching setup in the past. "It really makes me question what has gone wrong with our junior development system for the past years? I don't know... "We have talent, no doubt, but something fundamental isn't translating into results at the international level. "It's time for an honest review and a clear long-term direction — otherwise we risk an even more serious gap in our singles department moving forward." Malaysia's Roslie Razeeq Daniel reached the third round, while Louis Lee, Ayu Fu Sheng, Lim Boon Le and Kong Wei Xiang lost in the first or second rounds of the 128-player boys' singles draw. Ng Ler Qi, Oo Shan Xi and Lee Mun reached the third round of the girls' singles, while Lim Zhi Shin and Low Zi Yu lost in the second round. National singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen is in charge of Ler Qi, Shan Xi and Zhi Shin, while doubles player Lee Mun was on an eight-week trial as a singles player prior to the Asian Juniors. The others are under Datuk Tey Seu Bock, who is in charge of the junior singles squad. Tat Meng, who is now the coaching director at a private academy in Sydney, was also responding to concerns raised by former national women's singles player Ng Mee Fen. Mee Fen said the "current situation" is a major cause for concern, warning that Malaysian badminton could face serious cracks after the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. "Am I the only one who wonders what happened to our junior players' performance in the Asian Junior Championships in Solo? It's worrisome, especially in the singles department," Mee Fen had written on Instagram. "Most of our current senior players can play for another Olympic cycle, but we have yet to identify the junior players who can replace the seniors in five years' time. "Challenging times ahead for the juniors, and hopefully actions will be taken to improve the standard of the players before it's too late." Malaysia fared slightly better in the doubles events in Solo: three pairs — girls' doubles Dania Sofea Zaidi-Low Zi Yu and mixed doubles Loh Zi Heng-Noraqilah Maisarah Ramdan and Datu Anif Isaac Asrah-Dania Sofea — made it to the last eight.
The Star
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Tat Meng, Mee Fen raise concerns after Asian Junior Championships failure
PETALING JAYA: Former coaches Wong Tat Meng ( pic ) and Ng Mee Fen have raised concerns regarding the junior shuttlers' poor performance in the Asian Junior Championships in Solo, Indonesia, which ended on Sunday (July 27). Malaysia had a disappointing outing, returning home empty-handed from the tournament for the second time in the past three editions after a similar failure in 2023. Tat Meng, who was singles coach in the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) from 2003 to 2011 and 2013 to 2016 and Mee Fen, who was a junior coach in the national team for four years, expressed their concern via social media over the poor outing, especially in the singles. None of the players in the boys' and girls' singles even made it into the quarter-finals in the individual event. "Am I the only one who wonders what happened to our junior player's performance in the Asian Junior meet in Solo?" questioned Mee Fen. "It's worrisome, especially in the singles department. Most of our current senior players can play for another Olympic cycle, but we have yet to identify the junior players who can replace the seniors in five years' time. "Challenging time ahead for the juniors, and hopefully actions will be taken to improve the standard of the players before it's too late." Tat Meng, who responded to Mee Fen's post, said: "Thanks for raising this. You're definitely not the only one concerned." "I'm actually here in Solo watching the Asian Junior meet, and I have to say, it was disappointing and quite sad to see that none of our singles players made it to the quarter-finals. "Even though I'm no longer based in Malaysia, I still care deeply, especially having been part of the national coaching set-up in the past. "It really makes me question what has been going wrong with our junior development system for the past how many years? I don't know. "We have talent, no doubt but something fundamental isn't translating into results at the international level. "It's time for an honest review and a clear long-term direction. Otherwise, we risk an even more serious gap in our singles department moving forward," added Tat Meng.
