PETALING JAYA: Former Denmark head coach Dane Jonassen has come up as the leading candidate for the position of national coach at the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM).
Should Jonassen become the national badminton head coach, he would be offered a four-year contract, said to extend until the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
The New Straits Times reported that Jonassen is expected to undertake the “dual responsibility”, as quoted, of being the head coach for the men’s and women’s singles squad.
If Jonassen is appointed as head coach, he will be supported by assistant coaches K. Yogendran and Alvin Chew, for the men’s singles team while the assistant coaches for the women’s singles squad are Rosobin and Misbun Ramdan Misbun.
The 50-year-old played a vital role in ensuring the success of world number one and compatriot Viktor Axelsen.
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Axelsen clinched his first Olympic gold medal in the Tokyo 2021 games and the world title in 2017 under Jonassen’s watchful eye.
Besides Axelsen, Jonassen was also responsible in producing other “world-class”, as quoted, Danish players which include Anders Antonsen and Rasmus Gemke.
Currently, the national men’s singles team are comprised of players Ng Tze Yong, Leong Jun Hao, Justin Hoh and Eogene Ewe with two other players expected to be from the junior squad.
The players in the national women’s singles squad are K. Letshanaa, Wong Ling Ching, Oo Shan Zi and Siti Zulaikha Azmi.
Other candidates listed for the role of BAM head coach are Indonesia’s Mulyo Handoyo, Spain’s Fernando Rivas and Wong Tat Meng, who is currently coaching world No. 6 Lee Zii Jia.
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Mulyo was known for guiding Indonesia’s legendary shuttler Taufik Hidayat in getting the Olympic gold the 2004 and a world title in USA while Rivas coached Carolina Marin win the gold in the 2016 Olympics and three world titles in 2014, 2015 and 2018.
BAM is expected announce their final decision in selecting the new head coach on November 25.
