KUALA LUMPUR – Badminton Association of Malaysia’s (BAM) newly appointed women’s doubles coach Lee Meng Yean revealed today that her return to BAM is largely attributed to coaching director Rexy Mainaky.
The acclaimed shuttler told The Vibes that when she submitted her resignation in December, it was because she felt that it was time to lay down her racquet for good and move on to greener pastures outside of the badminton court.
However, Rexy persuaded her to stay, offering the 28-year-old athlete the opportunity to assist him in the coaching department as he saw her potential to utilise her invaluable experience as a top-ranked player to help her counterparts.
“I’m especially grateful for Coach Rexy because he has helped me a lot.
“He was my first coach at 18 when I became a senior player and he believes that I have the experience as well as what it takes to coach the squad,” Meng Yean said on her first official day as BAM’s new women’s doubles coach.
The 2020 Uber Cup team captain is still the country’s top-ranked doubles player with a Badminton World Federation (BWF) ranking of 11, which she shares with former partner Chow Mei Kuan.
The Melaka-born athlete added that as a female coach, she would also be in a better position to help the women’s squad deal with female-related matters, including personal health.
Meng Yean said her current focus as a coach is to improve the overall form and tactics of the unit to excel at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“I feel very happy to be back here once again because I get to help them. And now I’m placing all my hopes on them to win the Olympics,” she said.
“I also feel the women’s doubles squad have improved a lot. They are consistent, they have been working hard and they are all mentally strong.
“Although I no longer fight (to win) on the (badminton) court, I am now helping others from behind the scenes to improve their form and fight (to win) on the (badminton) court.” – The Vibes, March 2, 2022
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