TIRED ZHULIANG TO RETIRE
China-born coach ready to call it a day after three decades in the sport
NATIONAL diving head coach Yang Zhuliang is calling time on his career after his contract was controversially not renewed by the Sports Ministry. Zhuliang, the most successful coach in the history of Malaysian diving, said he is tired after spending more than three decades in the sport and will not be considering any job offers.
"At the moment there are no offers (from other countries) but the situation is I do not want to get any offers," said the 53-year-old yesterday.
"I want to stop and retire. My body is not good enough (to handle the strain) anymore.
"I am tired, I have worked very hard over the years and I just do not want to work anymore."
Zhuliang had last week said that he was looking forward to going home to China to look after his parents and spend more time with his family.
"I am not sure when I am going back to China, I can go any time actually." he added.
The Sports Ministry claimed that Zhuliang’s contract was not renewed as he had allowed a “culture and environment of fear” in the national team. Zhuliang, however, has refuted the matter.
Zhuliang coached China's national team in the 1990s before guiding Malaysia in his first stint here from 2001-2005, during which he laid the foundation for Malaysia’s rise to be a world power in the sport.
He then left to coach in Australia in 2005 before returning to coach Malaysia in 2008 and has stayed on until now.
His early successes with the national team include guiding Yeoh Ken Nee and Leong Mun Yee to three bronze medals at the Busan Asian Games in 2002, Bryan Nickson Lomas to the 10m platform individual world junior title in 2004 as well as helping Malaysia emerge overall winners in diving at the 2005 Manila Sea Games.
The results were even better in his second stint as Zhuliang helped Pandelela Rinong-Mun Yee win a historic first medal, a bronze, for Malaysia at the Rome World Championships in 2009. This was followed by three more world championship medals, including Cheong Jun Hoong's gold in Budapest this year.
He also led Malaysia to a first ever medal in the sport, a bronze via Pandelela, at the 2012 Olympics and a silver (Pandelela-Jun Hoong) at the 2016 Olympics.