Indian badminton star Kidambi Srikanth has hired an Indonesian coach, Wiempie Mahardi, to help him improve his game ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Srikanth has been struggling with form and has been looking for a coach since December 2021, when his previous coach, Agus Dwi Santoso, left.
Srikanth, who was once ranked world number one, has been going through a rough patch in his career in recent years. He has struggled to maintain his consistency and has been unable to replicate the kind of success he achieved in 2017, when he won four Super Series titles in a year.
The 28-year-old shuttler has had a number of coaches in the past, including the renowned Indonesian coach, Mulyo Handoyo, who helped him achieve his career-best ranking. Handoyo had joined the Indian team as the chief coach in 2017, but he quit the job in 2018 due to personal reasons.
Since then, Srikanth has struggled to find a coach who can help him get back to his best. He had briefly worked with Santoso, who had also coached the likes of Taufik Hidayat and Sony Dwi Kuncoro in the past, but the partnership did not last long.
Now, Srikanth has turned to Mahardi, who has worked with several top Indonesian shuttlers in the past, including Tommy Sugiarto and Sony Dwi Kuncoro. Mahardi, who was also the coach of the Indonesian national team, has a wealth of experience and is expected to help Srikanth improve his game.
“I met Wiempie when I went to Indonesia to train for three weeks. He came to India in the last week of April. We have been training together for a few weeks now, and I am happy with the progress I have made so far,” Srikanth told PTI.
Srikanth, who won a silver medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, has been struggling to make an impact in major tournaments in recent years. He failed to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics and has not won a title since 2019.
However, the Indian shuttler is determined to make a comeback and is hoping that Mahardi can help him achieve his goals. With the qualification period for the 2024 Olympics underway, Srikanth will need to start performing well in major tournaments if he wants to secure a spot in the Indian team.
The 2024 Paris Olympics will be a crucial tournament for Srikanth, who will be hoping to win his first Olympic medal. With the help of Mahardi, the Indian shuttler will be looking to improve his game and make a strong impression in the run-up to the showpiece event.
