Kim Ji-hyun to take over as Singapore badminton women’s singles coach on Jan 1

SINGAPORE – The Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) has secured its first major signing since reshuffling its technical staff with the hiring of Kim Ji-hyun as its women’s singles head coach.

The 50-year-old was part of South Korea’s Asian Games gold-winning women’s team at Hiroshima 1994, and went on to become a coach with the India, South Korea and Thailand national teams.

The two-time Olympian (Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000) also mentored the likes of world champion P. V. Sindhu, who became India’s first badminton world champion in 2019 and, most recently, Thailand’s Supanida Katethong who rose to a career-high world No. 10 in November.

Kim said: “I am excited to join the Singapore Badminton Association and I look forward to this new journey. I will be working hard, together with the players, to improve our skills and competitiveness on the international stage. I am also committed to helping nurture and develop our younger players, so that they can reach their full potential.”

She will start work from Jan 1, and will also be the interim men’s singles head coach as the SBA has yet to finalise a suitable candidate for the post.

Singapore’s top women’s singles player Yeo Jia Min, who has risen to a career-high world No. 13, said she is looking forward to working with Kim.

The 25-year-old, who incidentally recorded her first win over Sindhu in the China Masters last 16 on Nov 21, said: “I’m very happy and grateful for this opportunity to work with coach Kim Ji-hyun. I’ve seen her many times around the tour and known her to be a very passionate and caring person.

“I’m really excited to have her alongside to help me tackle the challenges that I have on court, to learn as much as I can from her and build good camaraderie to take on another exciting year ahead in 2025.”

SBA president Lawrence Leow added: “It is a coup to have Ji-hyun join us in Singapore. Her extensive experience and proven coaching track record add to the richness and depth of our coaching team which include head coaches Paulus Firman and Kelvin Ho.

“We certainly hope she can help us produce not just one but a few female world champions and Olympic medalists.”

On Oct 18, ST revealed that the SBA is making key coaching and organisational tweaks in a bid for success at the Los Angeles 2028 and Brisbane 2032 Olympics.

National singles coach Ho, who has played a key role in the rise of badminton stars Loh Kean Yew and Yeo, will take over from Taufiq Hidayat as coach of the national training squad in early 2025 to develop the next generation of national players with an eye on the 2032 Games.

As such, the SBA is on the lookout for foreign candidates to take over as the men’s and women’s national singles coaches – instead of combining the roles – while continuing with the services of national doubles coach Firman.

The association is also in the midst of its hunt for a new technical director following the departure of Martin Andrew in August, after the Paris Olympics. It is understood that the appointment will be made only after confirming its candidates for singles coaches.

With chief executive officer Alan Ow also set to leave SBA for personal reasons after more than three years at the helm, Arun Cavale, its vice-president of pathway and development, will relinquish his position on the board to take over as the interim CEO from Jan 1 until the new CEO is appointed.