Source: Visual China Group/VCG
[Saba Sports News] Last Saturday, the Badminton Association of Malaysia held its fourth council meeting for the year 2024. At the subsequent press conference, the association announced the appointment of the new head coach for the Malaysian national badminton team’s singles, who is the 50-year-old Dane Kenneth Jonassen. Jonassen has signed a four-year contract with the association and will take office on January 4, 2025. The director of the Malaysian badminton team, Rexy Mainaky, stated that Jonassen has rich coaching experience, having previously coached Viktor Axelsen and Anders Antonsen. Axelsen has now won Olympic gold medals twice, and it is believed that Jonassen can help the Malaysian men’s singles return to its peak and achieve the goal of winning the gold medal in men’s singles badminton at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Regarding the connection between the two, Rexy revealed that it originated from a conversation in a toilet in Chengdu, China, seven months ago. During the Thomas and Uber Cup held in Chengdu in April this year, the Malaysian men’s team faced the Danish men’s team in the final round of the group stage, where the first four matches ended in a 2-2 tie, leading to the last match between Hoh Justin and Rasmus Gemke to decide the winner. Ultimately, Hoh lost 1-2, and Malaysia advanced as the group’s second place. However, Hoh’s performance caught the attention of Jonassen, who was then the coach of the Danish team. After the match, Jonassen encountered Rexy in the toilet, and they talked about Hoh. Jonassen inquired about Hoh’s age and praised his performance. Thus, some media speculated that Hoh’s potential might be one of the reasons that attracted Jonassen to take the position of the head coach for Malaysia’s badminton singles.