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KUALA LUMPUR – After seven months without a coach, independent shuttler Lee Zii Jia has revealed that former national women’s singles coach Wong Tat Meng is his new coaching director.
In a post on social media, @TeamLZJ announced the news today, despite Zii Jia hinting just yesterday that the decision on a new coach will be revealed in the coming weeks.
“It is with great pleasure that we announce the appointment of Wong Tat Meng as the new coaching director for Team LZJ.
“Coach Tat Meng brings a wealth of experience from his coaching stints with the Malaysian national team, Indonesia, Scotland, South Korea, and recently Hong Kong.
“He (Tat Meng) will begin working with Zii Jia as soon as his relocation process from Hong Kong to Malaysia is sorted out,” read the post.
It is with great pleasure that we announce the appointment of Mr. Wong Tat Meng as the new Coaching Director for Team LZJ. pic.twitter.com/lyWpEJZR7M
— Team LZJ (@TeamLZJ) May 23, 2023
The 55-year-old former Thomas Cupper’s latest assignment is to prepare Hong Kong’s men’s singles players for the 2024 Paris Olympics, for which he had signed a two-year contract with the badminton association beginning in June last year.
The month before, he was credited for South Korea’s success in claiming the Uber Cup title during his four-year stint with the team.
It was also understood that Zii Jia, Cheam June Wei, and Soong Joo Ven were among the men’s singles players who trained under him before he left the Badminton Association of Malaysia to take up a coaching role in Scotland from 2017 until 2019.
The post added that the immediate task for Tat Meng is to tailor a programme that will help Zii Jia achieve consistent performances, move up in the world rankings, and qualify for the upcoming Olympics.
After parting ways with previous coach Indra Wijaya last November, Zii Jia had since brought on former national shuttler Liew Daren as a temporary assistant coach and sparring partner.
“We would also like to take this opportunity to thank Daren Liew for steadying the ship in the absence of a senior figure. Daren will stay as a part of Team LZJ’s coaching setup,” they said.
Previously, a hint of the new partnership was evident when Zii Jia had attended a training session in Hong Kong under Tat Meng’s guidance, who was the Hong Kong badminton team coach at the time ahead of the Badminton Asia Championships in April. – The Vibes, May 23, 2023