Wee Wern on verge of becoming nation’s first female head coach

PETALING JAYA: Can former world No. 5 Low Wee Wern (pic) carve a place in history by becoming the country’s first female squash head coach?

It’s possible if Wee Wern takes up an offer from the Philippines to guide their players to qualify for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

It’s rare to see a female heading a national team and for Malaysia, no one before Wee Wern has done it.

Former national champion Leong Siu Lynn probably came closest. She became the first Asian-American woman to lead an American college squash programme and served as the head coach for an Ivy League men’s team when appointed as the director of squash for Yale University in 2021.

It is not confirmed whether Wee Wern will take on the role yet, as she is still waiting for the final approval from the Philippines.

If the final approval goes through, it would mark a potentially groundbreaking moment for women in coaching, paving the way for a new era of inclusivity and leadership in the sports.

“They have approached me to be the national coach and I’ve given my terms to them,” said the 33-year-old Wee Wern, who has had brief coaching experiences in China, Singapore and Japan.

“They are now discussing with the Philippines Sports Council to get approval.”

Wee Wern was part of the team that won gold at the 2010 Guangzhou and 2014 Incheon Asian Games, and had clinched six Professional Squash Association (PSA) titles.

Wee Wern, who was once regarded as the natural successor to squash legend Nicol David, reached her career high of No. 5 in the world rankings in October 2014, but injuries and surgeries to both knees had crippled her career for the last eight years.

After recovering from her fourth knee surgery, Wee Wern made a comeback to competitive action in November 2022 and currently holds the No. 68 spot in the world rankings.

Unfortunately, in a recent setback, she sustained a strained medial collateral ligament (MCL) when she landed heavily on her leg after colliding with Alex Haydon of Australia in the New Zealand Open last month.

“I took three injections in early January and I’m now back on court again about a week ago,” said Wee Wern.

“I’m at 68th this month, so it’s still a decent ranking for someone who isn’t playing as much as I used to.”