Dual role: Former national champion Lim Chi Wing will now spar and train the independent players at the Sports Affairs Club.
PETALING JAYA: Former national champion Lim Chi Wing has called time on his professional career to concentrate on his coaching role at the Sports Affairs Club.
Chi Wing, who won back-to-back national titles in 2016 and 2017, was seen as a bright prospect but a lack of results saw him quitting the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) in 2019 to become an independent player.
The 27-year-old shuttler’s best achievement was reaching the quarter-finals of the 2018 Hyderabad Open besides also becoming national junior champion in 2013.
Chi Wing’s last outing was the Malaysian International Challenge where he lost to eventual champion Justin Hoh in the semi-finals.
Chi Wing’s coach Nova Armada said his Kuala Lumpur-born charge will continue as an assistant coach under the Indonesian.
“Chi Wing will be my assistant coach and he will also continue to spar with the independent players,” said Nova.
“He has been doing this for some time now and has only been competing in a few tournaments this year.
“Since I’m required to travel with the independent players for international tournaments as they are fighting for Olympic qualification, Chi Wing can be helpful in looking after the other players at our club in my absence.
“It will take some time before he develops into an experienced coach but he is showing interest in learning the trade.”
Cheam June Wei, Soong Joo Ven and Goh Jin Wei, and Paralympic champion Cheah Liek Hou are some of the independent players who train under Nova.
Joo Ven, who was one of the players who had trained with Chi Wing since they joined the BAM academy at the age of 13, said Chi Wing has been planning to take up coaching for some time now.
“We have been training and competing in tournaments since we were 13 and at Sports Affairs, he also acted as our sparring partner occasionally,” said Joo Ven.
“He is still part of our club in a new role and we’re looking forward to continue working with him.”
Nova has been wearing two hats by running the programme for June Wei, Joo Ven and Jin Wei as well as preparing Liek Hou for his title defence at the 2024 Paris Paralympics and Chi Wing’s presence could lighten the Indonesian’s burden at the club.
