KUALA LUMPUR: National singles coach Misbun Sidek has never played in the Olympic Games.
And he is now bent on achieving what he has failed to accomplish as a player – guiding his charges to achieve the best-ever results for Malaysia in the Games, which will be held in Beijing next month.
“As a player, I wanted to be the best in the world. Now I want to be the best coach in the world,” said Misbun after a training session at the Gymnasium II in Bukit Jalil yesterday.
“I have a mission and vision and I am doing my best to relay this dream of mine to my players. I just hope that they can understand why I am doing what I am doing in training for them.”
Misbun is pushing the country’s top male and female singles players, Lee Chong Wei and Wong Mew Choo, to the limit ahead of the Beijing Games.
To add more depth to the training, Misbun has help from mental trainer Frederick Tan and the physical trainers from the National Sports Institute (NSI). And he also has a group of young sparring partners for the duo.
“I want my players to capture my vision and put it into practice successfully. No matter how we do it, it is all about winning at the end of the day,” he said.
“I put them through the drills as though I am playing on court. Sometimes, they ask me whether I ever get tired of it. But what I do reminds them of what they can do too.
“To me, there is no end to coaching in badminton. It will be great if my players can win at the Olympics. But I will not stop there. I will continue to groom players because badminton is in my blood.”
Misbun is the most successful Malaysian singles coach as far as the Olympics are concerned.
Under him, Malaysia won a bronze through Rashid Sidek at the 1996 Atlanta Games, which remains as the only singles medal won by Malaysia in the series since badminton made its debut in the programme in Barcelona in 1992.
Misbun, however, will never forget the Atlanta Games. Two weeks before the Games, his eight-year old daughter met with an accident and passed away.
“It was a trying time for me. I went to the Games anyway and my brother, Rashid, understood the whole situation.
“With Dong Jiong (of China), Poul-Erik Hoyer-Larsen (Denmark) and Joko Suprianto and Hariyanto Arbi (Indonesians) in the fray, no one dared to dream but Rashid made it all worthwhile,” he said.
On whether Chong Wei and Mew Choo could make it a proud day for him as a coach by winning medals, Misbun said: “All I can say now is that I have never seen such committed players as Chong Wei and Mew Choo.
“Their attitude in training is admirable. In terms of their discipline, I have nothing to complain about. They will do well if they understand me and what the country wants from them.”
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