PETALING JAYA: Professional coach Nova Armada believes the coaches at the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) are capable of providing the final touches to refine his charge Goh Jin Wei’s game ahead of the Sudirman Cup from April 27-May 5 in Xiamen.
Jin Wei will once again carry the nation’s hopes in the women’s singles, with the two-time world junior champion having reported for centralised training at the Academy Badminton Malaysia in Bukit Kiara since Monday.
Also called up for the week-long camp, which runs until next Thursday, are four other independent pairs, including mixed doubles Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie, as well as men’s doubles duo Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani.
This means that for the next three weeks, she will be fully under the guidance of the BAM coaching team, with all training programmes and tactics tailored to prepare her for the upcoming competition in Xiamen.
Nova believes Jin Wei is in good hands under the guidance of national coaching director of singles Kenneth Jonassen, who has vast experience and an excellent reputation. In fact, she personally told him that she is happy to be back training at Bukit Kiara and is eager to contribute points for Malaysia if selected to compete.
“She follows the training programme at BAM, and for me, there isn’t much difference from what I’ve been teaching her all this time. If she wants extra training, she’ll ask me for it, and I’ll arrange it for her,” said Nova.
“For me, training at BAM alongside other players is something very beneficial for her.
“So far, I haven’t heard anything negative from Jin Wei, so everything is going smoothly. I think having such a centralised training camp ahead of the Sudirman Cup is a good thing. I’ve personally done an analysis of the opponents she will face in the Sudirman Cup, but it also depends on the plans the BAM coaches have in place,” said Nova when contacted.
Nova will not be able to accompany Jin Wei to Xiamen as he needs to focus on preparing several other players, such as Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin, Cheah Liek Hou, and Mohd Fareez Anuar for their tournaments.
Although the women’s singles is considered one of the weaker sectors in the national squad for this year’s Sudirman Cup, Jin Wei still has the potential to pose a serious threat to her opponents.
The other player in the list is K. Letshanaa.
In the 2023 edition in Suzhou, Jin Wei made a standout contribution by defeating former world champion P.V. Sindhu, helping Malaysia secure a vital win against India to top Group C.
This time, Malaysia are in Group C, alongside three-time runners-up Japan, France, and Australia.
