Purple League: Ampang Jaya rope in badminton great Zhao Jianhua as coach

Former badminton world no,1 from China Zhao Jianhua will be one of the coaching staff at Ampang Jaya BC in the Kopiko Purple League.

KUALA LUMPUR: Former badminton great Zhao Jianhua of China will make a special appearance for Ampang Jaya BC in the Kopiko Purple League.

Ampang Jaya BC have engaged Jianhua, a former world champion, as one of their coaches. A future collaboration between Jianhua’s team in China to beef up Ampang Jaya BC’s junior programme is also in the pipeline.

Yang Pei Ji, one of China’s junior players under Jianhua, is part of the package and she will play in the women’s singles for Ampang BC.

The 49-year-old Jianhua will sit on the coaches’ bench when Ampang Jaya BC take on Petaling Jaya BC at the Sports Arena Sentosa in Kuala Lumpur on Jan 31. The Chinese maestro will also conduct a coaching clinic and participate in an exhibition match at the Challenger Sports Centre in Ampang on Feb 1.

Ampang Jaya BC team manager Khek Mong was pleased to get Jianhua on board.

“Jianhua is admired for his killer smashes, which we can see in Lin Dan’s game now. He is the idol for many players,” said Khek Mong.

“He will coach our players before the match against Petaling BC on Jan 31. He will also work with some of our juniors. His presence will be a big boost.”

Khek Mong, a former national back-up shuttler, said he was able to rope in Jianhua because of their close friendship.

“I left BAM in 2009 and went to Guangxi (China) to train. I was there for a year and Jianhua was one of the coaches. We kept in touch.

“When I spoke to him about the league, he expressed his interest to help us. He is also keen to work with the juniors at my centre (Challenger Sports). We are looking at future collaboration.

“As China are one of the strongest teams in the world, I hope to use this opportunity to lift the standard of badminton in Malaysia. This is my club’s contribution for the development of the sport in Malaysia.

“During the exhibition match, Jianhua will play with Sean Ngu, who is our Under-10 junior champion. Hopefully, this experience will be unforgettable for the young lad,” said Khek Mong.

In the league, Ampang Jaya BC are in sixth spot after seven ties. The top three teams are Muar City BC, Petaling Jaya BC and Puchong United BC.

The top eight teams at the end of the league competition will earn a berth in the season-finale Champions Challenge, to be held in Genting Highlands from Feb 5-8.