logo
Herry's different approach as coach bearing fruit for men's doubles

Herry's different approach as coach bearing fruit for men's doubles

The Star6 hours ago

That's the way: Herry Iman Pierngadi (second from left) hugging Man Wei Chong after he and Tee Kai Wun (right) beat Japan's Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi in the Malaysian Masters semi-finals last month.
PETALING JAYA: A coach can change a game, a great coach can change a life.
It is a famous saying by American basketball trainer John Wooden and one that is greatly followed by national doubles coach Herry Iman Pierngadi.
In fact, the 62-year-old Herry displays Wooden's slogan instead of his photo on his WhatsApp's profile.
With such a profound belief in his calling as a coach, no wonder Herry has been able to transform the image of the Malaysian men's doubles department in just six months.
From a washout at the All-England in March, the men's doubles under the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) have now contributed five titles in the first half of the year through former world champions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik and Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun.
Aaron lifted the Asian championships, Thailand Open and Singapore Open titles while Wei Chong-Kai Wun bagged the Malaysian Masters and entered the Indonesian Open final under the guidance of Herry since early February.
It was such a turnaround especially after men's doubles wilted at the All-England in March when none made it past the first round.
Wei Chong-Kai Wun also won the Indonesian Masters this year and reached the semi-finals of the Malaysian Open but that was before the arrival of Herry.
'The role of coach is more than just coaching,' said Herry, who has a four-year contract with BAM.
'It's about making a difference in the life of the players. I want them to be successful on and off the court.
'It's about trusting each other – the players and coach; also having a good communication, and being like a father to these players,' said Herry.
Herry's calm manner and years of experience as Indonesia's long-serving doubles coach for almost three decades is rubbing off on the Malaysians, and the challenge now is to keep the momentum going in the second half of the year.
'It's a joy for a coach to see his players doing well. I'm so happy to see Man-Tee reaching the final of the Indonesian Open. Earlier, Aaron-Wooi Yik stayed solid for three weeks in a row,' said Herry.
'I think, the greater sense of accomplishment is seeing the change in the players' mindset ... they are now playing with more confidence,' he added.
With a strong showing so far, naturally all eyes will be at the World Championships in Paris in August.
Since Aaron-Wooi Yik ended the country's wait by winning the world title for the first time at the 2022 edition in Japan, Malaysia's men's doubles campaign has been rather quiet and it's time to make some noise again.
In leading to the worlds, Herry's boys will firstly be out make their marks at the back-to-back Japan Open from July 15-20 and China Open from July 22-27.
Last year, professional shuttlers Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani captured both the men's doubles title in Japan and China.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Man City sign Ait-Nouri in £31m deal ahead of Club World Cup squad rebuild
Man City sign Ait-Nouri in £31m deal ahead of Club World Cup squad rebuild

Malay Mail

time2 hours ago

  • Malay Mail

Man City sign Ait-Nouri in £31m deal ahead of Club World Cup squad rebuild

MANCHESTER, June 10 — Manchester City completed the signing of left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri from Wolves on Monday for a reported £31 million (RM178 million). The 24-year-old Algeria international has signed a five-year contract and will be available for the Club World Cup, which begins later this week. Ait-Nouri is expected to be just one of a trio of new City faces for that tournament with deals close to completion for AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders and Lyon playmaker Rayan Cherki. After missing out on a major trophy in the recently completed season for the first time since 2016/17, City are hoping to bounce back quickly with a major overhaul of Pep Guardiola's squad. They also spent more than £172 million in January on Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis and Nico Gonzalez. City will face Moroccan side Wydad AC and Emirati club Al Ain before a clash of European heavyweights with Juventus in the group stage, which kicks off on June 14. 'City are one of the biggest clubs in the world and the chance to play for the club is a dream come true,' Ait-Nouri said in a club statement. 'I am also so excited about working with and learning from Pep (Guardiola) and his coaching team and getting to train and play alongside such a world class group of players.' Ait-Nouri spent five years at Wolves, initially arriving on loan from Angers before signing permanently for £14.9m in 2021. He is City's first left-back specialist since Benjamin Mendy, who played his final game for the club almost four years ago. Oleksandr Zinchenko, Joao Cancelo, Nathan Ake, Josko Gvardiol and Nico O'Reilly have been among the players to fill a problem position for Guardiola since. French media report Cherki is on the verge of signing a five-year deal with Guardiola hoping to wrap up the forecast €40 million five-year signing by Tuesday evening in order to field the 21-year-old at the Club World Cup. — AFP

Italy beat Moldova as troubled Spalletti era comes to an end
Italy beat Moldova as troubled Spalletti era comes to an end

The Sun

time6 hours ago

  • The Sun

Italy beat Moldova as troubled Spalletti era comes to an end

ITALY got off the mark in their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign with Monday's 2-0 win over Moldova, Luciano Spalletti's last game as Italy coach. Giacomo Raspadori and Andrea Cambiaso scored in each half for the Azzurri who sit third in Group I, trailing leaders Norway by nine points, and are at risk of missing a third straight World Cup. Only top spot in the group gives direct qualification for next year's finals in the USA, Canada and Mexico and even having played two games fewer than Norway, Italy's best chance looks to the be finishing second and reaching the play-offs. However Italy were denied a place at the last two World Cups after being beaten in the play-offs and are in the midst of an identity crisis following their disastrous title defeat at last year's European Championship. Spalletti, who presided over a dismal last-16 exit at the Euros, coached Italy on Monday having already been told that he was to be sacked after the 3-0 thumping dished out by Norway in their opening qualifier on Friday. 'When you're the national team coach you have no excuses, it's you who selects the squad,' said Spallett to public broadcaster Rai. 'It's the coach who has to make the difference and unfortunately I wasn't able to do that.' Spallettti goes out after another uninspiring match played in a flat atmosphere in Reggio Emilia, where Italy got the three points needed but did little to inspire confidence in the future whoever replaces Spalletti. Claudio Ranieri is widely reported as being the Italian Football Federation's preferred candidate to replace Spalletti and guide Italy towards the World Cup, even though he retired from coaching after performing a near miracle with Roma this past season. Ranieri is 73 years old and working as a consultant for the American owners of his boyhood team Roma who he dragged from near Serie A's relegation zone to fifth place. But that hasn't stopped a media campaign practically begging the man nicknamed 'Sir' to come out of retirement for the second time to take control of a national team at possibly its lowest ebb.

Cancer survivor Chen an ideal role model for Aidil and other aspiring shuttlers
Cancer survivor Chen an ideal role model for Aidil and other aspiring shuttlers

The Star

time6 hours ago

  • The Star

Cancer survivor Chen an ideal role model for Aidil and other aspiring shuttlers

True fighter: Taiwan's Chou Tien-chen is the epitome of resilience and discipline. — AP PETALING JAYA: Taiwanese shuttler Chou Tien-chen is indeed an ideal role model for youngsters in Malaysia. The 35-year-old Tien-chen defied his age to reach the Indonesian Open final before going down 20-22, 14-21 to Denmark's Anders Antonsen at the Istora Senayan in Jakarta on Sunday. Independent singles coach Nova Armada believes that Tien-chen's never-say-die spirit should be an example to all shuttlers in Malaysia. Tien-chen, who does not have a coach, sometimes trains at Nova's training centre, Sports Affairs and this arrangement has also benefited the Indonesian's charge Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin, who gets the opportunity to spar with the Taiwanese. 'Tien-chen is very disciplined and mentally strong. 'He lost in the early rounds in the Malaysian Masters and Singapore Open (before the Indonesian Open) but refused to give up,' said Nova. 'He bounced back strongly and managed to perform well in the Indonesian Open despite his age. He is a great example to young players like Aidil. 'Aidil is only 25 and needs to emulate Tien-chen's spirit and mentality.' Tien-chen pulled off stunning wins over Thailand's world No. 1 Kunlavut Vitidsarn and China's world No. 4 Li Shifeng en route to the final in Indonesia. Tien-chen's performance was all the more remarkable as he was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2023. The world No. 7 fought to survive and continued playing badminton, enjoying a remarkable renaissance last year. Tien-chen captured the Arctic Open and Thailand Masters titles last year and finished runner-up in the Japan and Swiss Opens. He also narrowly lost to Singapore's Loh Kean Yew at home in the Taiwan Open final last month. Nova hopes Aidil can take inspiration from Tien-chen and keep improving after reaching a career-high No. 47 in the rankings recently. Aidil is currently Malaysia's No. 4 player in the men's singles behind world No. 15 Lee Zii Jia, Leong Jun Hao (No. 25) and Justin Hoh (No. 43). 'My target is for Aidil to break into the top 40 first this year. Then, hopefully he can move up into the top 32 latest by next year,' said Nova. 'I also want him to try to qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.' Aidil will compete next in the Macau Open from July 29-Aug 3.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store