Malaysian doubles specialist Tan Kim Her has reunited with star couple Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty as he begins his second stint in the Indian badminton landscape. The 53-year-old has been signed by the Badminton Association of India (BAI) for a four-year term until the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. “I am very happy to be back in India and have the opportunity to work with Satwik-Chirag and also the young and talented group of doubles players who have the potential to follow the path of Satwik-Chirag,” said Tan in a press release. .
“I look forward to creating a larger group of doubles combinations that can win world-level tournaments.” Tan, who arrived in Hyderabad on Sunday, was India's doubles coach from 2015 to 2019 and was instrumental in bringing Satwik and Chirag together before the 2016 Olympics.
He will take over the reins from Denmark's Mathias Boe, who guided Satwik and Chirag to many highlights, including reaching world number 1 status, winning gold at the Asian Games and securing bronze at the World Championships.
However, the couple faced heartbreak during two Olympic Games: Tokyo and Paris.
In his second stint, Tan, who took up an offer from the Japan Badminton Association in 2019, will “focus on developing strong partnerships in doubles and on the bench in the run-up to the 2026 Asian Games and the 2026 Olympic Games 2028 Los Angeles.” “We were looking for quality foreign coaches who could work with our current top players and also guide our next generation players as they prepare for the 2028 Olympics,” said BAI Secretary General Sanjay Mishra.
“Finding the right coach took time, but we were determined to bring in those who can continue the development of our badminton stars as well as work with a larger group of players and help build a strong pipeline of talent for the future ” he said.
News of Tan's return has been doing the rounds since last month, but BAI called it “premature” and said there was nothing concrete and the Malaysian was yet to accept the contract.
In 2022, Tan was tipped to take over as doubles coach, but that did not get off the ground.
After returning to action following their heartbreaking quarter-final defeat at the Paris Olympics, Satwik and Chirag had reached a semi-final at the China Masters last month.
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