Greatest reward is in athletes who bloom into great coaches

JUST a few days ago, I celebrated my 25th year with The Star. Trust me, it’s been a quarter of a century of sports with never a dull moment.

It’s been full of action on court, and drama off it too.

I’ve seen the roller coaster lives of athletes, the fierce competitions, inspiring personalities, the joy of breakthroughs, the disappointments and long, frustrating waits for major titles.

There have been ugly sides of sports too – cheating, doping, match-fixing, manipulation, abuse of power, politicking, injustice and well, many off-the-record stories that will make your jaw drop if only I could talk about them.

But just when you think you have seen it all, someone or something will hit you on the chin with a shocking blow.

The appointment of James Chua as the national women’s singles coach is one such shock. To many, it may be just another news but it’s really about a man who has been given a second chance to come good.

I remember writing about him after he won the 2002 Malaysian Open at the age of 23, just before his career-threatening knee injury in 2003. Then, he bid his final goodbye to Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) in 2008.

His long years of grappling with injuries turned him into a bitter man, which led him to some unwise choices in life.

James Wong

The Sarawakian was in the BAM’s pioneer batch of their academy together with national singles coaching director Wong Choong Hann and a few others in the 90s.

He had the brain, brawn and bountiful skills which could have turned him into a successful, popular and much feared player but he did not manage his issues properly,

He was the fittest of the lot before injury destroyed it all. So, it was a major surprise when James, now 43, returned to his roots. He has a chance to prove himself, this time as a coach in BAM.

It is just unfortunate though that he has been given the women’s singles department that has been left behind in standard in comparison to players from Japan, China, Indonesia, South Korea, Taiwan, India but that presents a challenge for James.

His past painful experiences could come in handy.

Now, wiser and more mature, James handles everything differently. In fact, he did well as the state coach in Kuching over the last two years.

He can understand his players better, especially players like S. Kisona and Eoon Qi Xuan, who are trying to re-establish themselves after a string of injuries.

James, who is looking forward to the new job, said: “I’ve gone through ups and downs in my career as a player. I can use my past experience to motivate the players. I’m not setting any immediate goals but I want to make a difference.”

It’s nice to see former players like James coming back to contribute in a different role.

The others from his batch who are already in the national set-up, besides Choong Hann, are K. Yogendran, Mohd Hafiz Hashim (junior team). The other coaches in the national team are Loh Wei Sheng, Teo Kok Siang and Hoon Thien How.

Some may not have been very successful as players but they are aiming to make headway as coaches.

Some will make it and go far. Others may find that it’s not their cup of tea. But most can grow into calibre coaches, given time and space to experiment, make mistakes and learn from them.

The transition from a player to a coach is something that’s good for Malaysia, not only in badminton, but in other sports too.

Last week, former top bowlers Alex Liew and Azidi Ameran guided juniors into medal winners at the recent International Bowling Federation (IBF) Under-21 championships. Other past players like Wendy Chai and Gerald Samuel will be coaching seniors in the World Games in the United States.

In archery, former SEA Games champion Marbawi Sulaiman is now a coach. Glorious diver Leong Mun Yee has slid easily into the job of guiding youngsters.

Many others have followed the same path and have been successful coaches like former bowler Holloway Cheah; footballers Dollah Salleh and Zainal Abidin Hassan; but many have also flopped.

James and coaches like him dare to be different. They are ready to embrace new challenges. And their painful past has made them stronger.

For writers like yours truly, it’s watching them bloom into successful coaches that’s most rewarding. It’s something to really look forward to.

To paraphrase Captain America; “I could do this all my life”.