KUALA LUMPUR: National badminton ace Lee Zii Jia (pix) has hinted that the coach he is going to hire is an individual who has produced champions before.
However, Zii Jia said he had yet to make a final decision on the new coach.
The need for a coach has become more pressing as the qualifying period for the Paris Olympics will start with the Sudirman Cup to be held in China from May 14-21.
“The process of looking for a coach is ongoing. Several candidates have been identified but I can’t make an announcement because nothing is confirmed yet. What I can say is the coach has produced champions before,” he told reporters after playing in the President’s Cup championship at Stadium Juara here today.
Zii Jia has been playing without a full-time coach since parting ways with his former trainer Indra Wijaya of Indonesia in November last year.
Since then, the 25-year-old professional player’s performance has suffered and his world ranking has dropped from fourth to eighth.
In today’s tournament, Zii Jia led Malaysian Tigers to win the second edition of the President’s Cup when they beat Malaysian Eagles 4-1.
The President’s Cup was a simulation tournament for the national squad preparing for the Sudirman Cup world mixed team championship in Suzhou, China. – Bernama
