Malaysian Jeremy behind Japanese mixed pair’s historic success

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s Jeremy Gan is indeed a coach with the Midas touch.

In his first assignment as Japan’s mixed doubles coach, his charges Yuta WatanabeArisa Higashino emerged as the All-England champions.

The unseeded Watanabe-Higashino upset fifth seeds Zheng Siwei-Huang Yaqiong of China 15-21, 22-20, 21-16 to become Japan’s first-ever mixed doubles champions in the All-England at Arena Birmingham yesterday.

They ended Japan’s 40-year wait for an All-England title, which was last won by women’s doubles players Atsuko TokudaMikiko Takada in 1978.

Jeremy left for Japan last November when head coach Park Joo-bong hired him to beef up the mixed doubles.

In Malaysia, Jeremy had a successful stint with the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM).

When he was the mixed doubles coach, Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying became the country’s first mixed doubles pair to win an Open title.

And after he was tasked to handle the men’s doubles department, Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong enjoyed their best year in 2016 by winning the Rio Olympics silver medal.

Denmark Open and the World Superseries Finals.

Japan failed to make it a double joy when Akane Yamaguchi lost 20-22, 13-21 to world No. 1 Tai Tzu-ying of Taiwan in the women’s singles final.