KUALA LUMPUR: New national women's doubles coach Rosman Razak wasted no time on his first day at Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) in Bukit Kiara, overseeing training drills for eight women's pairs.
After the session today, the no-nonsense Rosman shared his ambition with the media to guide world No. 7 Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah to a medal at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics after they finished fourth at the Paris Games in August.
The 48-year-old had paired up Pearly and Thinaah in 2019 during his first stint as a national coach.
National coaching director Rexy Mainaky rehired Rosman, confident he could provide the push needed to propel the pair to greater heights.
While Rosman's mandate includes rebuilding the women's doubles squad, his main priority is to help Pearly-Thinaah win an Olympic medal at LA28.
"That (medal at LA28) goes without saying. They've reached the semi-finals, and the next step up is what they're aiming for," Rosman said.
"They've set the bar, and I'm committed to helping them reach it."
"They want more than what they've accomplished so far, which means chasing medals at the World Championships, the 2026 Asian Games, and LA28 is on their agenda."
Rosman said next year will bring new challenges on the world tour, with other countries forming fresh pairs whose abilities will soon be tested.
But he is confident Pearly-Thinaah will be ready for the challenge.
Pearly-Thinaah had a short break after playing in six back-to-back World Tour events after the Paris Olympics in August.
Rosman believes they have recovered and are raring to return to action.
The pair will likely resume their season at the Kumamoto Masters (Nov 12-17), followed by the China Masters (Nov 19-24) and the World Tour Finals (Dec 11-15).
Apart from minor niggles for Pearly, Rosman confirmed they're on track for the Kumamoto Masters, with final assessments over the next few days to ensure they're ready.
Last month, Pearly-Thinaah cited exhaustion after exiting in the quarter-finals at the Denmark Open.
Since then, Pearly, who had knee surgery in 2022, has focused on strength training, while Thinaah took time off to celebrate Deepavali with her family in Klang — her first since 2019.