Zhao Yunlei to return…as coach

One and a half years after her retirement from the international badminton scene, former Olympic gold medallist, Zhao Yunlei, is back to her once familiar national team.  She will be taking up the role of women’s doubles Assistant Coach and supporting Zhang Jun and Pan Li to revive a department once dominated by Chinese shuttlers, most recently including Zhao herself.

By Jong.  Photos: Badmintonphoto

According to a report yesterday on sportscn.com, national team head coaches Zhang Jun and Xia Xuanze have been actively planning to engage a few ex-national players, all of whom have remarkable achievements in their careers, to join their coaching positions. After the 2017 Glasgow World Championships, former national team players Tao Jiaming and He Hanbin were recruited to join the women’s doubles coaching staff.

“Tao Jiaming and He Hanbin have been through the typical Chinese team training experience and they have good character. Most importantly, they have partnered a few female players in the mixed doubles. They should have some understanding of how the girls should play and how to increase the intensity of the training,” Zhang Jun told sportscn.

On January 31^st, Zhao Yunlei reported to the national team as an assistant coach. She has just finished her universities studies in Beijing and will devote to most of her time to nurture the new talents now. However, her return to the Chinese team is not a full-time job yet as she is still holding a position at China’s Table Tennis & Badminton Association.

Zhao is by far the most recent of the retirees in question.  While He Hanbin last played internationally in 2012 and Tao Jiaming has not been seen on court since 2013, Zhao’s last appearance outside of China was at the Rio Olympics, where she picked up bronze in the mixed doubles.

“I felt great to be back. I had lived in the national training centre for many years and am familiar with the environment. I want to assist Zhang Jun and Pan Li, who had a great impact on my sports career. I will do my best to complete my task and bring the women’s doubles back to the peak,” the London double gold medallist was quoted as saying.