KUALA LUMPUR — Expecting Kenneth Jonassen to produce a gold-medal-winning shuttler at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics may not be impossible, but it appears highly unrealistic given the current circumstances.
The 50-year-old Dane was recently introduced as the new singles head coach for Akademi Badminton Malaysia (ABM).
In his first press conference with the Malaysian media on Monday, Jonassen expressed confidence in taking on the ambitious task of delivering Malaysia’s first Olympic gold medal in Los Angeles, four years from now.
However, the limited talent pool, the current state of the national singles squad, and the short timeframe raise questions about whether the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) has set an unattainable goal.
Former international Rashid Sidek, a close friend of Jonassen’s, described the target as unrealistic.
While Rashid is confident in Jonassen’s ability to improve the national singles programme, he doubts that Malaysia’s current batch of players can deliver an Olympic gold anytime soon.
Jonassen, a former world number two, is widely credited for the success of Danish stars such as two-time Olympic and world champion Viktor Axelsen and two-time European champion Anders Antonsen during his 11-year tenure with Badminton Denmark.
“Jonassen is a great guy with an impressive resume, but the expectation for him to deliver gold at the 2028 Olympics is, in my opinion, unrealistic,” Rashid told Scoop.
“I don’t doubt Jonassen’s credentials, and I’m not saying it’s impossible, but if you ask anyone, they’ll question this target.
“Players like Leong Jun Hao and Ng Tze Yong have shown promise, but how long has it taken them to get to this level? And even now, they’re not consistently competing at the highest level.
“Let’s not forget, Axelsen was only 18 when he lost to Liew Daren in a Super Series final (2012 French Open), and Antonsen was already a solid singles player when Jonassen began coaching him.”
Currently, none of Malaysia’s national singles players are ranked in the world’s top 20.
Tze Yong, who was making steady progress last season, has yet to fully recover from a lower back injury sustained earlier this year, further complicating the task.
Additionally, former Asian junior champion Jun Hao will be 29 by the time the 2028 Olympics arrive, while Tze Yong will turn 28.
Rashid, a former BAM singles head coach, suggested a more practical approach to support Jonassen and the players.
“Let Jonassen focus on raising the overall standard of Malaysian singles players first. Set achievable targets before aiming for Olympic gold.
“Players like Jun Hao, Tze Yong, and Justin Ho have potential, but they’re not there yet. The priority should be getting them to the highest level before setting lofty goals,” Rashid added.
Although he officially starts his role in January, Jonassen has already met and spoken with some of the singles players and coaches at ABM.
The current men’s singles lineup — Jun Hao, Tze Yong, Justin, and Eogene Ewe — is coached by K. Yogendran and Alvin Chew.
Meanwhile, women’s singles players — K. Letshanaa, Siti Zulaikha Azmi, and Oo Shan Zi — are trained by Indonesian coach Jeffer Rosobin and Misbun Ramdan. — November 27, 2024
