Happy family: Amelia with husband Chai Boon and their two children.
PETALING JAYA: Former doubles international Amelia Alicia Anscelly has returned to the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) as one of the junior coaches while Woon Khe Wei may join too if all goes well.
The former SEA Games champion will coach the Under-18 girls’ doubles..
“It’s great to be back. I was coaching with BAM before but I took time off to take care of my children,” said the 34-year-old Amelia, who reported for duty yesterday.
Amelia had a fantastic year in 2015 with Soong Fie Cho when they bagged the Singapore SEA Games gold after beating defending champions and teammates Khe Wei-Vivian Hoo in the final. They also won the Indian Open Grand Prix that year.
She quit playing in April 2017 before serving as the girls’ Under-15 coach from 2018-2020 with the national body.
Her presence will be good as Malaysia are in need of quality talents to add depth into the national women’s doubles squad.
“I hope to instil confidence in our players and guide them to be more consistent. Also, to help them to show maturity in their tactical play and techniques,” said the mother of two children. She is married to former shuttler Poh Chai Boon.
Chai Boon, who was also a junior coach, has now been promoted as the assistant national doubles coach to Tan Bin Shen.
Chai Boon, Bin Shen and Amelia report to national doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky.
Several places have been vacant in the junior coaching department following the exits of several coaches, including Mohd Hafiz Hashim, Vountus Indra Mawan and Kwan Yoke Meng.
Hafiz has taken up a coaching job at the Suchitra Badminton Academy in Hyderabad, where he also helps out world No. 11 P.V. Sindhu while Vountus has joined as the head coach of Badminton Victoria in Australia.
A good addition: Khe Wei’s rich and vast experience will be beneficial to the shuttlers.
Meanwhile, it is learnt that 34-year-old Khe Wei, who was the country’s top doubles pair with Vivian Hoo for almost a decade, attended an interview with the national body recently. Her inclusion in the coaching staff will also benefit the players as she comes with rich and vast experience.
Khe Wei-Vivian won the Commonwealth Games gold twice at the 2010 New Delhi and 2014 Glasgow editions.
The duo, who were ranked as high as ninth in the world, also reached the quarter-finals of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro before they parted ways as Khe Wei’s progress was hampered by her knee injury. Vivian is now playing as an independent player with Lim Chiew Sien.
