PETALING JAYA: Wee Hock Leng could not have been prouder watching Low Zi Yu become a world junior champion, 12 years after he first started coaching her as a six-year-old in Segamat.
Zi Yu and Genevie Lim made history by becoming Malaysia’s first girls’ doubles world junior champions after beating Japan’s Nijika Kamata-Shizuku Kashio 15-7, 9-15, 15-12 in Cairo on Saturday.
For Hock Leng, the achievement was even more meaningful as Zi Yu had already spoken about becoming a world champion when she was just eight.
He was the first coach to spot her potential and played a major role in shaping her early years in badminton.
Zi Yu’s father Darren Low, a close friend of Hock Leng, had sent her to train at his Spiritual Segamat Badminton Club when she was six.
What impressed Hock Leng most was Zi Yu’s attitude towards training.
Throughout the 10 years she trained under him, he said she never skipped a session or asked for her training load to be reduced.
She was also quick to understand what was required of her on court, particularly when it came to tactics and strategy.
“She is a talented girl. From the age of six until 11, she showed not only potential but also very good discipline.
“Whatever we taught her, she picked it up very quickly. When we gave her a strategy, she could understand straight away what we wanted her to do,” said Hock Leng.
Hock Leng also played a part in spotting the first signs of Zi Yu’s hyperthyroidism after noticing a sudden drop in her performance.
“I was the one who first noticed it because I always monitored her performance closely and suddenly there was a big drop.
“She started losing in the quarter-finals and in matches where I knew she was not playing like herself.
“After one or two months, we found out that she had hyperthyroidism,” added Hock Leng.
The condition also delayed Zi Yu’s move into full-time training at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) in Bukit Kiara.
She only joined the national set-up at the start of this year after her condition improved, although she still needs medication to keep her condition under control.
Interestingly, Hock Leng’s two sons, Wee Yee Hern and Wee Yee Tern, who used to train alongside Zi Yu when they were younger, are also now part of the national set-up.
Both are mixed doubles players, although they are currently paired with different partners.
At the same time, Hock Leng reminded his former charge to be prepared for the challenges that come with being in the spotlight as a world junior champion.
He said Zi Yu must now learn to cope with the expectations and pressure that come with the attention.
“The attention from outside is something that worries us. I hope she can stay focused on badminton and not be too distracted by the media.
“Right now, everything is positive and she is receiving a lot of praise, but things will be different when she steps up to the senior level.
“When the defeats come, there will also be criticism and she has to learn how to handle that.
“I just hope she will be mentally and emotionally strong enough to deal with all of it. That is something we are concerned about,” said Hock Leng.
