Back in the 70s in Binjai Diski, Indonesia, when television wasn’t a thing, and people used to flock to watch their local sports heroes, Irwansyah remembers watching his father, who they called ‘Black Thunder’.

His real name was Darmalingam – an unusual name for an Indonesian, but then his father had Indian roots. He packed a hard smash and he was a big draw among the badminton-crazy populace of the small town.

“I was five or six years when I saw my dad play in competition; he was still popular in my hometown,” Irwansyah recalls. By that time his father was past his prime, but he was still a draw for the crowd.

“All the people in the arena were moving towards his court, and I wondered what was happening. And then my mom said, your dad is very good player, he has many fans … and then I used to see in the newspaper, they used to call him ‘Black Thunder’ because his smash was very powerful. Rudy Hartono, Christian Hadinata… they used to come to for competition or exhibitions, and my dad used to play with them.”

From those beginnings — when his only hero was his father and his only ambition to follow in his footsteps as a modestly-paid government servant — was fashioned the career of a coach who has worked with high-profile athletes such as Jonatan Christie, Anthony Ginting, and now, Pusarla V Sindhu. Irwansyah’s story is that of the small town boy who sought to follow in his father’s footsteps as a badminton player with modest ambitions, yet went on journeys his father never had.

“He was No.1 in South Sumatra, which was big. He was my first coach, but he’d teach me without getting angry. He was very patient. He’s a very nice guy, actually – and not because he’s my dad. I’ve never seen him get angry.

“I just wanted to find a job one day in my hometown. I would wake up early for training, and if I overslept, I’d be upset. I had to stand 30 minutes to an hour in the bus each way to school. Nearly every day for 15 years. Come back again, train for an hour. But I never gave up. I was doing everything for badminton because I wanted to be like my dad, working in government. He was like a hero for me, even though his salary was small. I just wanted to be like him.”

His life would change after his first national competition, when, despite losing in the second round, he was spotted by senior coach Fang Kai Hsiang. He would relocate to Jakarta to train at the club PB Tangkas, with the golden generation of players he’d only seen on TV. Frequent injuries – including a serious back injury that saw him bed-ridden for 21 days – would affect his career.

Then came a break as player-cum-coach in Wales, followed by a call-up to Cyprus as head coach, and then Ireland, before he was called back home to Indonesia to groom their men’s singles.

“It was my dream job. My dad was very proud of me. He could never become a national team player.

“Such a long journey, I’m a village boy who didn’t know anything about the city, just a normal family. But it’s so amazing.”