The future of the Badminton Association of Malaysia’s (BAM) women’s singles coaching staff is now in the hands of Kenneth Jonassen, who is fully responsible for the development of the national singles squad.
Jonassen, the newly appointed singles director, is tasked with overseeing the entire singles program, including selecting a replacement for Jeffer Rosobin, who resigned on February 28. This move is also designed to lighten the load on Rexy Mainaky, who will now focus exclusively on the doubles events.
Although several candidates have been shortlisted for the role, Jonassen will ultimately decide if a new coach is needed. If not, the women’s singles players will continue training under Misbun Ramdan, with Jonassen closely monitoring their progress.
The current women’s singles team includes six players: K. Letshanaa, Wong Ling Ching, Siti Zulaikha Azmi, Lim Zhi Sin, Eng Ler Qi, and Oo Shan Zi.
BAM acting president, Datuk V. Subramaniam, emphasized that the decision will take time. “It will take about a week or so to reach a conclusion on several matters,” he said. “Ultimately, it all depends on Jonassen’s directive, as he is the head of the department.”
Subramaniam also explained that this restructuring is part of BAM’s ongoing efforts to streamline its coaching system and improve efficiency. Jonassen’s expertise in singles and Rexy’s experience in doubles are seen as key to this new strategy.
This new division of responsibilities echoes a previous arrangement, where Rexy oversaw doubles progress since rejoining BAM in 2021, while Wong Choong Hann was responsible for singles as the coaching director.
Subramaniam expressed confidence in Jonassen’s ability to manage the singles program. “I believe Jonassen is fully capable of handling the singles department, and we must place our trust in him,” he added. “At the same time, we want to ease Rexy’s workload so he can focus entirely on the doubles sector.”
Related topics: