KUALA LUMPUR: Lee Zii Jia finally named his new coach today. And the chosen one is Wong Tat Meng.
Team LZJ took to social media to announce Tat Meng's appointment as its coaching director, with the 55-year-old expected to leave the Hong Kong national team after just 11 months of service.
Liew Daren, who has been serving as a sparring partner and assistant coach since the formation of Team LZJ, will resume his existing role.
Zii Jia has been without a coach since parting ways with Indonesian Indra Wijaya late last year on a sour note.
"It is with great pleasure that we announce the appointment of Wong Tat Meng as the new coaching director for Team LZJ," Team LZJ posted on its Instagram account.
"Coach Tat Meng brings a wealth of experience from his coaching stints with the Malaysian national team, Indonesia, Scotland, South Korea and, recently, Hong Kong.
"He will begin working with Zii Jia as soon as his relocation process from Hong Kong to Malaysia is sorted out.
"The immediate task for coach Tat Meng is to tailor a programme that will help Zii Jia achieve consistent performances, move up the world rankings, and qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
"We would also like to take this opportunity to thank Liew Daren, who will stay part of Team LZJ's coaching setup, for steadying the ship in the absence of a senior figure.
"With that, everybody, please give a warm welcome to coach Tat Meng."
Tat Meng had two stints with the BA of Malaysia from 2003 to 2011 and 2013 to 2016. He also spent two years in Scotland from 2016 to 2018.
His other stint abroad was with Indonesia in 2012.
The national women's singles department once soared under Tat Meng's tutelage. He turned the now-retired Wong Mew Choo into a world-beater in her heyday.
Mew Choo's biggest success was winning the 2007 China Open, where she defeated big names like Zhu Lin, Zhang Ning and Xie Xingfang for the title.
Mew Choo was also the last local player to reach the Malaysia Open women's singles final that year, finishing runner-up to Zhu Lin.