KUALA LUMPUR — Outgoing national men’s doubles head coach Tan Bin Shen has expressed regret over his inability to guide Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik to the Paris 2024 Olympic gold medal, calling it one of his unfulfilled aspirations during his tenure with the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM).
“One of my biggest targets when I joined BAM was to achieve gold at the 2024 Olympics, but the dream remains elusive,” Bin Shen told reporters during a training session here today.
“For me, the 2024 Olympics is among the most memorable because it was my first time there. I could feel the immense hope many had for the men’s doubles (Aaron-Wooi Yik), but they only made it to the semi-finals.”
Despite falling short of the gold, Aaron and Wooi Yik showed resilience by fighting back to claim their second consecutive Olympic bronze medal, defeating Denmark’s Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen 16-21, 22-20, 21-19.
Bin Shen, who will end his service with BAM on January 13, shared that while he achieved 60% of his goals since taking up the role in December 2020, the remaining 40%, including Olympic gold, remains unfulfilled.
Reflecting on his time with BAM, Bin Shen expressed pride in the progress of Malaysia’s men’s doubles players under his guidance, including Muhammad Haikal Nazri and Wan Arif Wan Junaidi, who achieved notable results in international tournaments.
The 40-year-old coach hopes his players can deliver a parting gift by winning the Malaysian Open, scheduled from January 7-12, which will serve as his final assignment before taking up a two-year contract with the Hong Kong national team in February.
In his new role, Bin Shen will oversee Hong Kong’s doubles squad, which includes the women’s and mixed categories.
He will work alongside fellow Malaysian coaches Jeremy Gan and Loh Wei Sheng, with former Malaysian men’s singles star Wong Choong Hann, now Hong Kong’s head coach, instrumental in recruiting him.
“A few months back, Choong Hann approached me during a tournament, but at that time, I wasn’t sure yet because I had to consider my family,” he said, adding that he would initially move to Hong Kong alone.
“The Hong Kong squad is not very large, so all doubles categories will train together.” — December 27, 2024