All smiles: Coach Lee Wan Wah (centre) posing with Japan’s Takumi Nomura and Yuichi Shimogami, who won the International Challenge men’s doubles title in Saipan at Northern Mariana Islands, last year.
PETALING JAYA: Former Malaysian international Lee Wan Wah is taking over the job as the men’s doubles head coach at a time when none of Japan’s pair is in the top 10.
But that itself is a challenge Wan Wah is relishing.
Wan Wah, who was once Malaysia’s top pair with Choong Tan Fook, has been promoted from a junior to senior coach in November last year.
He will be the only Malaysian left in Japan after the departures of Tan Kim Her and Jeremy Gan.
Kim Her, who was the doubles coach, has left for India while Jeremy has joined Wong Choong Hann and Tan Bin Shen in Hong Kong.
Wan Wah, who is leading the top players for the first time, is ready to step up to the big league.
“There’s not many pairs that are at the top right now so I think it’s a good challenge for me,” said Wan Wah, who was recently back home to celebrate Chinese New Year with his family in Ipoh.
Japan’s top two pairs are world number 11 Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi and Kenya Mitsuhashi-Hiroki Okamura (18).
Since winning the world title in 2021 in Huelva, Spain, Hoki and Kobayashi have been inconsistent although they can be exceptionally superb on a good day.
Wan Wah said Japan had different set of challenges.
“Japan do have good players but just that the system only allows those in the top to participate in bigger tournaments. We are facing budget restraints too, that’s why it will take more time for the younger pairs to improve,” he said.
Their top three younger pairs are Takumi Nomura-Yuichi Shimogami (59), Kyohei Yamashita-Hiroki Midorikawa (91) and Kakeru Kumagai-Hiroki Nishi (109).
“My goal is to improve the standard of not only the top pairs but the men’s doubles department as a whole,” he said.
Wan Wah said he had stepped in at the right time as new pairs would emerge and try to establish themselves ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. Some of the old pairs such as former world champions Hendra Setiawan-Mohammad Ahsan of Indonesia and two-time Olympic Games winners Wang Chi-lin-Lee Yang of Taiwan will not be around to spice up the competition due to retirements while many are switching partners.
“It’s a usual occasion when top pairs leave at the start of a new Olympic Games cycle. So this would be a good chance for the younger pairs to participate in bigger tournaments and raise their rankings,” he said.
Wan Wah believes one of the countries that have really stepped up during this transition period is Malaysia and he is quite keen to see how they will fare under Indonesian maestro Herry Iman Pierngadi.
“Malaysia have been doing very well lately in men’s doubles. We have to wait and see if Herry will further improve their level,” he said.
In just January, Malaysia have produced two men’s doubles champions – professionals Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani (Indian Open) and Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun (Indonesian Masters).
Is language a barrier for Wan Wah?
“I do speak Japanese mostly when I’m coaching. I can converse in their language now but not their advanced level. So I would rate myself at primary level,” said Wan Wah.
And with ramen being his favourite food, expect Wan Wah to spice up the men’s doubles competition with his coaching ability by raising more new faces from the Land of the Rising Sun.
