KUALA LUMPUR: Newly appointed National mixed doubles coach Nova Widianto (pix) from Indonesia claimed that his decision to join the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) was due to his confidence in the potential of the current players and their world rankings.
Widianto said his confidence grew after witnessing the many successes of the country’s badminton squad under National Doubles Coaching director Rexy Mainaky who has taken the team to the highest achievement on the global stage, including the World Championships this year.
The 45-year-old coach added that his respect and believe in Rexy was in fact the main factor for his decision to join BAM as the mixed doubles coach.
“Mixed doubles players in Malaysia and Indonesia are similar, they are young, have good ranking, professionals and a lot of potential. When players are in a good status and confident, I am also confident.
“After Rexy informed me of the potential in players here, I was immediately attracted to the offer but had to wait till end of the season to start anew,” he told reporters here recently.
Widianto said he had already received the offer to become the mixed doubles coach at the World Championships in Tokyo, Japan, back in August.
The BAM appointed Widianto as the mixed doubles coach on Dec 21, to replace Paulus Firman who had resigned in April.
Widianto and his mixed doubles partner Liliyana Natsir were the World Champions in 2005 and 2007 and added the silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
The pair was regarded as the best ever mixed doubles pair in the world during that era. – Bernama