MALACCA: A single tear rolled down Misbun Sidek's cheek when he was conferred the Darjah Mulia Seri Melaka at the Seri Negeri in Ayer Keroh yesterday.

The national singles badminton coach admitted he was overwhelmed when he received news that the Malacca government wanted to reward him for his work.

"I was just carrying out my responsibilities sincerely as a coach to share all my knowledge and experience with the athletes," he said after being conferred the award, which carries the title of "Datuk", by Yang Dipertua Negeri Tun Mohd Khalil Yaakob.

Misbun said more young and talented sportsmen and women were emerging in the badminton arena.

Given the right guidance, they could even surpass national number one Lee Chong Wei's achievements.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said he hoped the award would spur Misbun to intensify his passion for the sport and encourage more badminton clinics to be held to help aspiring athletes.

Present at the investiture ceremony yesterday were Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Ismail Sabri Yaakob and Misbun's wife, Datin Latifah Sidek.

Ismail said the award was proof that athletes and their coaches played an equal role in achieving success in the sports arena, and would give encouragement to both parties so that their efforts would not go unnoticed.

"Malaysia will be focusing on developing talents in fields where skills, and not physical strength, will play an important role. These include gymnastics, diving and shooting," he said.