Indian doubles badminton coach Flandy Limpele steps down
The Indonesian was instrumental in helping Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty rise to prominence in the last season.
In what should come as a setback to Indian badminton, doubles coach Flandy Limpele has announced his resignation from the Indian national setup.
In a statement released by the Badminton Association of India (BAI), the Indonesian has cited personal reasons for stepping down from his role.
“Owing to family reasons, Indian doubles coach, Flandy Limpele has decided to move on and has resigned from his current position as the doubles coach for the Indian badminton team. Limpele has flown back home yesterday (March 7),” the statement read.
The 46-year-old, who won a bronze medal in men’s doubles at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, was an integral part of the Indian badminton doubles setup that rose to prominence in the past season.
While the men’s doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty took the Tour by storm to break into the top 10, the women’s doubles pair of Ashwini Ponappa and N Skikki Reddy stitched together a quality combination in 2019.
With Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty looking to make the Olympic cut this season, losing Flandy Limpele should be a major setback for the team.
The statement, meanwhile, didn’t speak about a replacement while stating that Namrih Suroto and Dwi Kristiawan will lead the charge at the national camp in Hyderabad.
“The doubles team is currently being trained in Hyderabad by a team of expert coaches - Namrih Suroto and Dwi Kristiawan (foreign coaches) along with Indian counterparts, Vijay Deep, Pradnya Gadre and Arun Vishnu alongside Chief National Coach, P Gopichand,” read the statement.
Indian badminton's short stint
Flandy Limpele is the third foreign coach to leave the Indian badminton setup in less than a year.
South Korean Kim Ji Hyun, who was heavily involved in helping PV Sindhu to the World Championships title last season, had quit in September, while the previous doubles coach Tan Kim Her left the job last March.
While Tan Kim Her went on to join the Japanese team later, Kim Ji Hyun is involved with a club in Chinese Taipei on a full-time basis.
Meanwhile, experienced Indonesian coach Agus Dwi Santoso will reach Hyderabad on March 10. Santoso is set to join the Indian badminton singles team in their build-up to the 2020 Olympics.