KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s freshly appointed mixed doubles coach Nova Widianto accepted the offer to join Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) because of doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky.
Speaking to reporters upon his arrival at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) today, Nova said he has been familiar with Rexy’s work, which made him accept the offer without hesitance.
“I have worked with Rexy before, so I am familiar with his style,” said the 45-year-old former Indonesian national team mixed doubles head coach.
“I had the discussion with Rexy since the Japan Open in August and accepted the job offer without any much forethought, mainly because I trust him.
“I just needed a bit of time until the end of the year to sort some things out.”
Nova is expected to resume the task that was left by Paulus Firman when the latter quit the national setup in May.
It is understood that Nova will also be with BAM for two years to help the team prepare for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“Malaysia has many talents and I look forward to training them.
“The pressure on the badminton players in Malaysia is quite like Indonesia. As a coach, I have no problem with that.
“I have been a coach for 11 years and this is my first job outside of Indonesia. My only wish is to give my best for the team,” he added.
Nova had won two world championships in 2005 and 2007 and won a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games with then partner Lilyana Natsir.
Nova is expected to report for duty on January 1, 2023. – The Vibes, December 22, 2022
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