Latest news with #BAJC
Barnama
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Barnama
Give Jonassen Time To Rebuild Malaysia's Singles Line-up
GEORGE TOWN, July 30 (Bernama) -- National men's singles coach and Director of Singles Coaching at the Badminton Association of Malaysia (ABM), Kenneth Jonassen, should be given sufficient time to implement his plans and bring about change to the national singles squad, according to Datuk Seri Lee Chong Wei. The Malaysian badminton legend said Jonassen, who has only been in the role for six months, needs time to adapt and rebuild the strength of a men's singles line-up that is currently in a critical state. 'I've met and spoken with him (Jonassen) about how he can contribute to men's singles in Malaysia. He has great ideas and I agree with his proposals and plans. We just can't expect instant results because this isn't a one-month or one-year process. bootstrap slideshow 'At the very least, one full cycle – four years – is needed before we can gauge the effectiveness of his plans. Give him room to adapt to the local culture and to rebuild the team. It's like a newborn child – even learning to walk takes a year, let alone producing a world champion,' he said. He was speaking to reporters after receiving the Darjah Gemilang Pangkuan Negeri (DGPN) award, which carries the title Datuk Seri, from the Yang Dipertua Negeri of Penang, Tun Ramli Ngah Talib, in conjunction with the 84th birthday celebration of the Penang Governor, here today. Lee, 43, was responding to a newspaper report quoting former national coach Wong Tat Meng, who warned that Malaysia could face a singles crisis if immediate action isn't taken to address the weaknesses in the country's youth player development system. Wong, 58, gave this stern warning after witnessing the underwhelming performance of Malaysia's junior squad at the 2025 Badminton Asia Junior Championships (BAJC) in Solo, Indonesia, recently. Commenting further, Lee said the current state of the men's singles is worrying, with a significant gap between Malaysian players and the world's top contenders. Lee said only Lee Zii Jia currently shows potential, having recently returned from injury, while Ng Tze Yong is undergoing treatment in Doha.
The Sun
a day ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Malaysia brokers Thailand-Cambodia ceasefire, wins global praise
KUALA LUMPUR: The failure of Malaysia's singles shuttlers to reach the quarter-finals at the Badminton Asia Junior Championships (BAJC) 2025 in Solo, Indonesia, came as no surprise to national singles coaching director Kenneth 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
The Sun
a day ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Malaysia's BAJC 2025 performance meets expectations, says Jonassen
KUALA LUMPUR: The failure of Malaysia's singles shuttlers to reach the quarter-finals at the Badminton Asia Junior Championships (BAJC) 2025 in Solo, Indonesia, came as no surprise to national singles coaching director Kenneth 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
New Straits Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
James says junior shuttlers lack mental strength after BAJC flop
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia badminton may be riding high at senior level, proud lofty world rankings and all that, but disappointingly not so at junior level. So, what's wrong with the country's junior development after Malaysia failed to win a single medal at this week's Badminton Asia Junior Championships (BAJC) in Indonesia. Not a single podium finish in Solo, not even a bronze, never mind silver or gold. Malaysia's campaign came to an embarrassing end on Friday when all their remaining players were wiped out in the quarter-finals. Former national high-performance director Datuk James Selvaraj said the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) needs to strengthen the players mentally. "How many tournaments have the junior players participated in before the BAJC? It looked like some of them lacked experience compared to their Asian counterparts. "There's not much depth in the talent we have now, especially in the singles department. "We have to work with the material we have and improve the quality of talent coming through to the national level." At the BAJC, high hopes were placed on girls' doubles Dania Sofea Zaidi-Low Zi Yu — silver medallists at the last World Junior Championships — but they fell 21-19, 21-12 to China's Cao Zi Han-Chen Fan Shu Tian. Mixed doubles Loh Ziheng-Noraqilah Maisarah Ramdan lost 21-18, 21-12 to Indonesia's Ikhsan Lintang Pramudya-Rinjani Kwinara Nastine, while Datu Anif Isaac Datu Asrah-Dania Sofea were beaten 21-23, 21-7, 21-13 by China's Chen Jun Ting-Cao Zi Han. Malaysia had also exited the mixed team quarter-finals earlier in the tournament, ending their campaign without a medal. Malaysia last won the BAJC mixed team title in 2009 in Kuala Lumpur. The last Malaysian to win the boys' singles title was Leong Jun Hao in 2017. "These players are surely disappointed with their results, and some may even fear being dropped from the team," said James. "The coaches need to help them bounce back mentally. The players also need to watch and analyse their matches — they must learn from their mistakes. "They should also observe how other players, especially the seniors, play and learn from them. "These young players need competitions to gauge whether they are improving. Training alone won't be enough — they need competitions to push their abilities."
New Straits Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
No medals, all out: Badminton squad flop at Asian Juniors
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's challenge in the individual competition at the Badminton Asia Junior Championships (BAJC) came to an end on Friday after all remaining players were knocked out in the quarter-finals in Solo, Indonesia. High hopes had been placed on girls' doubles pair Dania Sofea Zaidi-Low Zi Yu — silver medallists at the last World Junior Championships — but they fell 21-19, 21-12 to China's Cao Zi Han-Chen Fan Shu Tian in 42 minutes. There was also disappointment in the mixed doubles as both Malaysian pairs crashed out. Loh Ziheng-Noraqilah Maisarah Ramdan lost 21-18, 21-12 to Indonesia's Ikhsan Lintang Pramudya-Rinjani Kwinara Nastine, while Datu Anif Isaac Datu Asrah-Dania Sofea were beaten 21-23, 21-7, 21-13 by China's Chen Jun Ting-Cao Zi Han. Malaysia had also exited in the mixed team quarter-finals earlier in the tournament, meaning they end their campaign without a medal. — BERNAMA
