PETALING JAYA: Badminton legend Datuk Seri Lee Chong Wei has called for patience and support for national singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen as he works to develop world-class singles players.
Jonassen, who took up the role about eight months ago, came in with a strong reputation, having previously coached Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen and world No. 3 Anders Antonsen. Upon his appointment, he was entrusted with a major task, to groom a player capable of delivering Malaysia’s first Olympic gold at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
However, he is already facing pressure as the current batch of men’s and women’s singles players in the national set-up have yet to deliver convincing results.
Leong Jun Hao, for instance, has climbed slightly to No. 24 in the world rankings this week and has managed to upset a few top players, but his performances remain inconsistent and he has yet to achieve a breakthrough this year.
The situation is similar in the women’s singles camp, which is currently led by national No. 1 K. Letshanaa.
Chong Wei, however, has stepped up in defence of the Danish coach, saying Jonassen has a clear vision and good ideas for improving the singles department but the process will take time.
Ideally, Chong Wei believes Jonassen should be given a full Olympic cycle to implement his training programme and show whether it can produce the desired results.
“I’ve met him and we discussed how we can help our top singles players. He has some very good ideas.
“But we need to give him time — not a month, not even a year. He should be given at least one full cycle.
“That means four years. Only then can he implement his plans and hopefully deliver the results we want. He’s only been here for less than six months.
“It’s like raising a child — even learning to walk takes a year. Producing a world champion takes far longer,” said Chong Wei.
Chong Wei shared his thoughts when met by reporters after being conferred the Darjah Gemilang Pangkuan Negeri (DGPN), which carries the title Datuk Seri, during the 2025 Penang State Awards ceremony held in conjunction with the 84th birthday celebration of Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Ramli Ngah Talib yesterday.
Also honoured was Badminton Association of Malaysia president Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz, who received the Darjah Panglima Pangkuan Negeri (DPPN), which also carries the title Datuk Seri. Sports Commissioner Suhardi Alias was among the recipients of the Darjah Setia Pangkuan Negeri (DSPN), which comes with the title Datuk.
