PETALING JAYA: New men’s singles coach Harry Hartono (pic) has a strong reputation to live up to as he begins the task of lifting the worrying standard of Malaysia’s men’s singles players.
Harry, who reported for duty at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) in Bukit Kiara yesterday, arrived with an impressive track record, having previously worked with Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Anthony Ginting and Asian champion Jonatan Christie during his stint as an assistant coach with the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI).
He was also among the earliest coaches to spot the potential of 2022 world champion Chou Tien-chen while coaching at a high school in Taiwan between 2005 and 2010.
As such, Harry views his move to Malaysia not only as a step forward in his coaching career but also as a challenge to help revive a men’s singles department that is currently struggling.
“Yes, this is a challenge. As a coach, of course I want my players to perform on the world stage. The aim is to become world number one and to be a world champion,” said Harry.
Harry’s first training session with the men’s singles squad under head coach Datuk Tey Seu Bock also went positively, particularly with the commitment shown by Leong Jun Hao and Justin Hoh.
“I can see that they have good fighting spirit and a strong sense of responsibility towards what they are doing now. Since both are competing at the top level, I feel they already have a clear vision on how to further improve their performance,” he added.
However, he is still in the process of settling in before being given specific responsibilities to oversee certain players in the national squad.
“For now, I am still adapting, and I think I will need about a month to assess the situation and conditions. After that, it will be up to national director, Kenneth Jonassen to decide how the duties are arranged, including which players I will be responsible for. At the moment, it is still an adaptation phase,” said Harry.
Harry is among the new faces brought in by the Badminton Association of Malaysia, along with Yeoh Kay Bin, who reported for duty last week.
Another new coach, Mohd Zakry Latif, who will be in charge of the women’s doubles squad, is scheduled to report for duty on Feb 20.
