KUALA LUMPUR: Outgoing men's doubles coach Tan Bin Shen will leave the BA of Malaysia (BAM) with the regret of not guiding Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik to Olympic gold at the Paris Games in August.
Helping Malaysia win their first Olympic gold medal had topped Bin Shen's wishlist when he joined BAM as a coach.
Despite falling short, world No. 6 Aaron-Wooi Yik's feat of winning a second consecutive Olympic bronze and their world title in 2022 remain Bin Shen's most cherished achievements.
Bin Shen, however, downplayed his role in Aaron-Wooi Yik's world title triumph, as he was the assistant coach to Rexy Mainaky in 2022.
Bin Shen will officially leave BAM on Jan 13, a day after the Malaysia Open (January 7-12), to join former BAM coaching director Wong Choong Hann at the Hong Kong BA (HKBA).
The 40-year-old, who was promoted to national men's doubles head coach in 2023, accepted the HKBA offer following his success in guiding Aaron-Wooi Yik and four other national pairs to titles and higher world rankings.
Other pairs under Bin Shen include world No. 14 Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun, Choong Hon Jian-Haikal Nazri (No. 21), and Wan Arif Wan Junaidi-Yap Roy King (No. 23).
World No. 3 Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani were also under Bin Shen's guidance before turning professional in September.
Bin Shen will begin his new role in Hong Kong in February after Chinese New Year (Jan 29-30).
Despite his upcoming departure, the ex-national doubles player remains committed to BAM until his last day.
He aims to see a Malaysian pair win the Malaysia Open.
"Helping Malaysia win an Olympic gold in men's doubles was my top goal when I became coach," said Bin Shen at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM), Bukit Jalil, today.
"However, Aaron-Wooi Yik's bronze success in Paris is still my most memorable achievement, although I couldn't guide them to gold.
"Despite that, I am still satisfied, as I helped other pairs achieve their goals.
"The Malaysia Open is my last tournament as a BAM coach, and my goal is to guide a local pair to glory in the Super 1000 event."
On his move to the HKBA, Bin Shen said Choong Hann made the offer several months ago, but he was initially hesitant due to family commitments.
"Choong Hann approached me during a tournament a few months ago," Bin Shen added.
"I wasn't sure initially because my children are still very young, and moving abroad is a big decision.
"But eventually, I decided to accept the Hong Kong offer.
"I hope the stint will help me grow and learn new things.
"The new role, which may also involve coaching women's doubles, will present an exciting challenge."