Pearly-Ee Wei can only get better under Rosman, says Amelia

National junior women double Toh Ee Wei (left) and Pearly Tan Koong Le posing with 2nd place medal after arrive from Canada for World Junior Championships at KLIA, Sepang. FAIHAN GHANI/The Star.

SEPANG: Over to you, sir.

Former international Amelia Alicia Anscelly believes she has prepared her charges Pearly Tan Koong Le-Toh Ee Wei well enough to be handed to the women’s doubles department headed by her former coach Rosman Razak.

The 30-year-old Amelia tipped Pearly-Ee Wei to be future world beaters and they can only get better under Rosman, who has produced several top women’s doubles shuttlers in the country including Amelia herself.

It was a victory of sorts for former SEA Games gold medallist Amelia after she guided Pearly-Ee Wei to two major runner-up finishes at the Asian Junior Championships in Jakarta in July and the World Junior Championships in Markham, Canada, last Sunday.

“I’m so proud of them. We were targeting a modest bronze but they exceeded expectations by making it to the final,” said Amelia, when met at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang yesterday.

“Unfortunately, they could not turn it into gold but it’s okay as they’ve given their all.

“They have proven themselves at the junior level and it’s now up to them to reproduce the same kind of success when they move up to the senior ranks.

“Having trained them for almost a year now, I foresee them becoming the national No. 1 in the future, and certainly one of the world’s best too provided they continue to work hard.

“It’s going to get even tougher for them from now on but I believe coach Rosman has a plan in place to develop them further.

“I’ve told Rosman that these two girls are ready to play in tournaments.

“Given their standard, they should be able to win the International Challenge and International Series satelite tournaments.

“As for the lower-tier World Tour events, it’s already a big deal if they can make it to the quarter-finals,” added Amelia, who claimed the 2015 SEA Games women’s doubles title with Soong Fie Cho.

Amelia joined the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) in January this year and was put in charge of the Form Four and Five girls’ doubles department.

“It’s been a great start to my journey as a coach. I’m extra motivated now to help produce more quality girls’ doubles shuttlers in the years to come,” said Amelia.

“With Pearly and Ee Wei now being promoted to the senior team, I have a big task ahead to get my other pairs ready for the major tournaments next year.

“We have two exciting players coming up – Low Yeen Yuan and Valeree Siow, who are capable of taking over from Pearly-Ee Wei.”

Pearly-Ee Wei will be a welcomed boost for the depleted women’s doubles department after it has lost several senior players to retirement.

With the resignations of Tee Jing Yi and Fie Cho in June and Woon Khe Wei’s long-term injury, Rosman is left with only eight players.