Malaysia's BAJC 2025 performance meets expectations, says Jonassen
Jonassen said that while the outcome may appear disappointing, it aligned with his expectations going into the recently concluded tournament held at the GOR Indoor Manahan Solo.
'Am I disappointed? Maybe for some individual performances that I thought could have been better. But my expectations were met, so to speak.
'I know where we are. I understand and I fully accept that we have an ambition a lot more than we produced this time,' he told reporters during a training session here today.
Malaysia ended their campaign at the 2025 BAJC without a single medal, with both the singles and doubles departments falling short.
This year's results mark a significant drop from their 2024 performance, when the national junior squad returned with one silver and three bronze medals.
The Dane, who has been working closely with the junior squad over the past several months, said he and his team had identified three key areas for immediate focus moving forward: physicality, tactical discipline and mental resilience.
Although several juniors are currently training with the senior national squad, Jonassen warned against expecting quick results.
'Just because we made some changes, with them now training with the senior team, it's not that easy. Development doesn't happen overnight. It's a long process.
'Everybody wants changes all the time. But actually, what you need is to continue down the path you've already taken, maybe with a few tweaks, and then you can deliver results eventually,' he said. - Bernama
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
an hour ago
- New Straits Times
Too much too young?: Swimming's dilemma over 12-year-old schoolgirl
SINGAPORE: Swimming is a sport well used to talented teenagers, but Yu Zidi's participation aged 12 at the world championships has sparked debate about how young is too young. The prodigious Chinese schoolgirl is not just making up the numbers at the event in Singapore this week. Yu qualified for Monday's final of the 200m individual medley and came fourth, missing out on a remarkable medal by just 0.06sec in what is not considered her strongest event. The race was won by Canada's Summer McIntosh – she competed at the Tokyo Olympics as a 14-year-old and last summer in Paris won three golds at age 17. Yu was at it again on Wednesday in Singapore, racing alongside comparative veteran McIntosh to reach the finals of the 200m butterfly. Yu, who turns 13 in October, will also race in the 400m medley later this week. The Chinese prodigy, who discovered swimming aged six as a way to cool off in China's roasting summers, has drawn historical comparisons to Inge Sorensen. At 12, the Dane was the youngest-ever winner of an Olympic swimming medal after her bronze at the Berlin Games of 1936. More recently, there was Bahrain's Alzain Tareq, who was 10 when she competed at the swimming world championships in Kazan, Russia, in 2015. Unlike Yu, however, she never came close to a medal. Asked this week if she was a "genius", Yu replied: "No, not really. It's all the result of hard training." While Yu's performances have been impressive and could well yield a medal, not everyone thinks she should be competing in Singapore. Some in the sport have raised questions about the impact on Yu mentally and physically of high-level training and competing at an age when she is still developing as a person. Under current World Aquatics rules, the minimum age is 14 but younger swimmers can compete at the championships if – like Yu – they are fast enough. Christian Hansmann, sports director of German swimming, called her participation in Singapore "questionable." "Putting a girl of 12 in front of a world championship crowd of 5,000 spectators, with the high pressure from the media and the coaches, is far too early in my opinion," said Hansmann, who has children of a similar age. French swimmer Lilou Ressencourt admitted it "pisses me off to be beaten by a girl 10 years younger than me" and said she was surprised by how fast Yu is at such a young age. She too fears for Yu's physical and mental well-being. "I'm 22 and handling world championships, even French championships, can be difficult," Ressencourt told AFP. "I tell myself that at 12, you have a heavy responsibility... it's not normal at 12 to have that kind of pressure." Yu's presence in Singapore could force a rethink of the rules at World Aquatics, the sport's governing body. Executive director Brent Nowicki admitted they had been surprised that someone as young as Yu had been fast enough to qualify. Nowicki said World Aquatics "feel quite good about where we are with our safeguarding approach in our sport", but admitted that Yu could force a re-evaluation of its rules. "She's great. I mean, there's a big future there for her. Hopefully there could be good things that could happen out of this, and it could be great," he said. But he added: "Obviously we have to make sure that that's what it is, right? We don't want to tip that balance and go the other way, and we have to be careful about that." Many other sports have wrestled with the same age issue. In 2022, ice skating's governing body voted to raise the minimum age for senior competition from 15 to 17, months after an Olympics drug scandal involving Russian teenager Kamila Valieva.
The Star
8 hours ago
- The Star
Slowly but surely, Ken can do it
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.
The Star
8 hours ago
- The Star
Tze Yong returns to light training, gets good support from coach
Missing it: Ng Tze Yong doing some light shuttle training while seated in Doha. PETALING JAYA: Men's singles shuttler Ng Tze Yong is showing positive signs in his recovery from a knee injury, having returned to light training on court. The 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games gold medallist shared an update from Doha, where he has started basic racquet and shuttle drills while seated, as he is still recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery on his right knee, which he underwent in early July. National singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen has been in contact with Tze Yong to check on his condition and offer support during this challenging period. Jonassen also sent words of encouragement to Tze Yong, who is currently undergoing rehabilitation alone in Doha. 'I have spoken to him and he's still upbeat. Obviously, he's on a long journey and my focus remains the same – to give him the best opportunity to return to competitive sport by being supportive. 'I've heard from the physio that he's putting in the work in the areas he can. He's still in Qatar and I can't wait to have him back here. Even if I don't see him daily, just having him in our training environment, even if it's just in the gym, would be great. 'Fingers crossed, from what I understand, the rehab process is going well and he's in good spirits. When you're going through a long recovery, staying positive is key,' said Jonassen. However, Jonassen has yet to give a clear timeline for Tze Yong's full recovery, as it will depend on the player's condition and the advice of the medical team. 'As for his return, that decision lies with the doctors. They'll determine when he's ready and of course we'll follow the advice of the experts,' he added. Tze Yong had previously been sidelined for 14 months following two back surgeries and only returned to competition in April this year after a lengthy layoff. However, after featuring in just three tournaments, misfortune struck again.
