Will the return of Tan Kim Her boost Indian badminton?

The Malaysian was recently appointed as the doubles team coach.

Former Malaysian player and coach Tan Kim Her is all set to make a comeback in the Indian National Badminton team after being away for more than two years. Tan had a major role to play in the rise of Indian badminton in the world. He coached both singles and doubles players during his last tenure and had equivalent success in both the disciplines. The Malaysian also masterminded the development of Indian doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty who are now one of the successful players from the country.

Tan’s coaching aura isn’t the only thing which makes him so successful. Instead, his experience as a player has also helped him in the phenomenal growth of many young talents.

Achievements as a player

Tan Kim Her competed as a doubles specialist back then in his early days. He has clinched bronze medals at Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and World Cup. Tan also holds two Thomas Cup silvers to his name. He also featured at the Olympic Games in 1996 where he lost in the bronze medal match.

Stint with India

Tan Kim Her decided to coach the players after deciding to quit competing at the international circuit. In the beginning, he coached the Malaysian junior team before moving to South Korea in the year 2005. It was then followed by a two-year association with the national team of England before he finally forayed into Indian badminton. Tan’s major successes as a coach came when he conditioned young Indian players and prepared them for the bigger stage.

The Malaysian brought in the pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty and groomed them in the best possible way. Their meteoric rise was in a way a result of Tan’s training as he had been training both the players since they were young.

Tan was also the part of the Olympic team in 2016 in Rio where Sindhu won the silver medal. He also helped the women’s doubles pair of Ashwini Ponappa and N. Sikki Reddy secure a bronze at the 2018 Commonwealth Games where the team also won gold in the mixed team event.

Stint with Japanese National Team

Despite some good results from the team, Tan Kim Her decided to step down as the coach citing personal reasons and joined the Japan National Team.

The Malaysian ace’s performance was equally impressive in Japan as well. He smoothly guided the mixed doubles pair of Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino to a bronze medal in Tokyo 2020 Olympics as well as silver at the World Championships 2021. He also guided the men’s doubles pair of Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi to their first World Championship gold in Spain last year. The pair also reached their first ever World Championship final in 2019 under Tan’s supervision.

He also played valuable role during his team’s stint at the All England in 2020 and 2021. In 2022, he decided to step down as the coach in Japan before finally tying up with India once again .

How Tan’s appointment as coach will help Indian badminton?

The success of Tan Kim Her as a coach precedes his reputation. His previous stint in India helped a lot of players to grow and prepare for the big stage. He has been roped in for India till the 2026 Asian Games. His success with Rankireddy and Shetty are testament to the fact that Indian badminton is likely to prosper superlatively well in the coming years, especially in the doubles discipline. All of India's big successes in badminton have come in the singles category. With Tan Kim Her specialising in the doubles category, a medal at any big event can be expected.

With Tan’s role being helping and spreading knowledge to not just players but also upcoming potential coaches, it could be great success for India in the coming years.

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