With an eye on LA 2028, Tan Kim Her returns for second stint with Indian badminton team

The Badminton Association of India (BAI) has appointed Malaysian doubles specialist Tan Kim Her to work with the Indian national team on Thursday.

Tan Kim Her will take over from Danish Olympic medallist Mathias Boe, who announced his retirement from coaching roles post the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Under Mathias Boe, a former world No. 1 and an Olympic medallist, the Indian pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy rose to the top spot of the men’s doubles rankings and emerged as the Asian, Commonwealth Games and Asian Games champions.

This will be the second stint for Tan Kim Her with the Indian badminton players. Instrumental in pairing Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy during his first stint with India, Tan Kim Her will focus on developing strong doubles partnerships and bench strength ahead of the Asian Games 2026 and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

“We had been looking for quality foreign coaches who could work with our current top players and also guide our next-generation players as we prepare for the 2028 Olympics,” BAI secretary-general Sanjay Mishra said.

“Finding the right coach took time but we were determined to bring in those who can continue the development of our badminton stars and also work with a bigger group of players and help build a strong pipeline of talent for the future,” Mishra added.

After a successful four-year spell from 2015 to 2019 with the Indian shuttlers, the Malaysian joined the Japanese team as men’s doubles coach.

Tan Kim Her has already arrived in India and has begun his second spell with the team, joining the players in Hyderabad.

“I am very happy to be back in India and get a chance to work with Satwik-Chirag and also the young and talented group of doubles players who have the potential to follow on the path of Satwik-Chirag,” said Tan Kim Her. “I am looking forward to creating a bigger group of doubles combinations who can win tournaments at the world stage.”