KUALA LUMPUR: Lee Zii Jia has appointed former national player Yeoh Kay Bin as his new coach, TeamLZJ announced today.
Kay Bin replaces Wong Tat Meng, who confirmed he would not extend his contract, which expires on Dec 31, after 18 months of service with the world No. 6.
"Please welcome our new head coach, Yeoh Kay Bin. Kay Bin, a former international for Malaysia, brings a wealth of coaching experience both locally and abroad," wrote TeamLZJ on their official X (formerly Twitter) account.
"He joins the team to continue Zii Jia's progress into the next phase of his career."
Kay Bin, 44, was among the first group of players to train at the BA of Malaysia's (BAM) previous training centre in Taman Maluri.
He was also one of the top men's singles players in the era preceding Lee Chong Wei and represented the country alongside James Chua, Lee Tsuen Seng, and Sairul Amar Ayob.
Kay Bin was a runner-up at the 1998 World Junior Championships in Melbourne and secured a bronze medal at the 2007 Asian Championships in Johor Baru.
While his playing career may not have been highly decorated, he is widely regarded as a skilled coach.
Following his retirement, he coached at the New Vision Badminton Academy and had a coaching stint in China under the guidance of Li Mao.
After confirming Tat Meng's departure on Dec 6, TeamLZJ also bid farewell to strength and conditioning coach Lim Joe Heang on Monday.
However, they have now addressed one of those vacancies with Kay Bin's appointment.
Zii Jia is recovering from an ankle injury sustained at the recent World Tour Finals in Hangzhou, China.
It remains uncertain whether he will play at the season-opening Super 1000 Malaysia Open from Jan 7-12.