Jurgen Land (from left), Zhang Weifeng and Jonathan chat during the National U18 Badminton Championships in Ipoh. (Shuttle Flash Badminton Academy IG picture)
(IPOH, 23rd) A meeting between former national player Zhang Weifeng and national singles coaching director Jonathan in Ipoh has sparked heated discussions on whether Zhang Weifeng will return to the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) as a coach.
Jonathan and assistant coach Jorgendran recently went to Ipoh to attend the National U18 Badminton Championships to observe the performance of the national youth players.
Coincidentally, Zhang Weifeng was also present to coach four men's singles players from his badminton academy in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.
Coincidentally, Zhang Weifeng was also present to coach four men's singles players from his badminton academy in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.
The cordial conversation between the two sides on the sidelines was uploaded to Instagram by Shuttle Flash Badminton Academy, which immediately attracted attention and speculation.
In response, Jonashen said: "We were just friends who hadn't seen each other for many years and we didn't talk about the women's singles coach position. We are not in a hurry to fill the position and will wait patiently for the right person."
In fact, Zhang Weifeng, who won the men's singles gold medal at the 2015 SEA Games, had earlier told the New Straits Times that he had received initial contact from BAM, but he also stressed in an interview on Wednesday that the conversation with Jonathan did not involve any specific employment arrangements.
"I have known Jonathan since his playing days. We haven't met since he came to Malaysia. This time we happened to meet at the competition venue and chatted for a while. We talked a lot about the training of young players, such as the lack of confidence of many young players under pressure, which leads to unstable performance. But this was purely a normal conversation and there was no official discussion."
Zhang Weifeng added that he is currently focusing on training his own players and is not yet ready to take on the responsibilities of a national team coach: "I am currently coaching a few players full-time and cannot devote myself to the work of the national team. If there is an opportunity, I will first arrange a successor coach so that the operation of the academy can continue."
As the Sudirman Cup is about to open in Xiamen, China this Sunday, Jonashen and Jorgendran will set off on Thursday to join the national team and start a new round of competition.
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