ABM rope in Rosobin as new junior head coach

KUALA LUMPUR - Former Indonesian shuttler and Asian Championships gold medal winner, Jeffer Rosobin will be the new Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) head coach for juniors, scheduled to begin next month.

Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) President Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria said Rosobin is the chosen one to guide the juniors due to his wonderful track record in developing the current Indonesia’s top women’s singles shuttler, Gregoria Mariska Tunjung apart from his achievement to secure the 1996 men’s singles Asian champion.

"We believe Jeffer possesses neccessary qualities to lead the junior squad and work effectively with ABM Coaching Director Rexy Mainaky.

"For now we are waiting for his visa approval and we expect him to join us by Nov 1,” he told a press conference after 2023 BAM third council meeting here, today.

Mohamad Norza said they had shortlisted few candidates to replace Datuk Misbun Sidek and brought forward the names to Rexy to get his green light.

"All Key Performance Index for senior and junior is under Rexy, so ned to get his approval and choose the right candidate. Maybe Rexy is aware of Jeffer’s capabilities and achievement and that is probably one of the reasons for giving the greenlight for his appointment,” he said.

In the meantime, he believed that Rosobin will improve the women’s singles junior squad to the next level as the Indonesian had previously led Gregoria to the girls’s singles champion in 2017 World Junior Championships in Yogyakarta.

Meanwhile, the Olympic Council of Malaysia president also said that they will look to maintain juniors to train with the senior squad as such a move had borne fruit sparticularly after they took home three bronze in the 2023 World Junior Championships in Spokane, United States of America.

Two national junior pairs ended their 2023 World Junior Championships campaign with a bronze after losing to their respective opponents in the semi-finals in Spokane, United States, recently.

Mixed doubles pair Low Han Chen-Chan Wen Tse lost 14-21, 14-21, to top seeds China’s Zhu Yi Jun-Huang Ke Xin.

In the men’s doubles event, Bryan Jeremy Goonting-Aaron Tai also suffered the same fate when they lost to Lai Po Yu-Tsai Fu Cheng from Taiwan in a rubber set, 18-21, 21-15,14-21.

Malaysia also won bronze in the mixed team event after they fell short to China, 0-3, in the semi final. - BERNAMA