Bigger and better: Pioneer Sports Management director Chan Chong Ming, Youth and Sports Deputy Minister Adam Adli Abd Halim and a representative from the Malaysia Book of Records.
PETALING JAYA: Men’s doubles shuttlers Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik could pull off a surprise in the All-England if they maintain their consistent form, says former women’s doubles head coach Chan Chong Ming.
Chong Ming said the world No. 5 men’s doubles pair have shown improvement in their game in recent times, but they need to step up in the upcoming All-England from March 12-17 if they want to emerge victorious.
“I think Aaron-Wooi Yik are more consistent compared to last time and I hope they can do something special at the All-England,” said the former shuttler at the Daikin International Badminton Tournament’s closing ceremony in Kota Damansara yesterday.
He said the competition in the men’s doubles department has intensified with not much in term of the standard separating the top pairs in the world.
“The competition has become a lot tighter, there are many pairs who can upset each other,” said Chong Ming.
“The most important thing is to have adequate preparation before heading into the tournament.”
Aaron-Wooi Yik, who made it to the second round for a match-up against Taiwan’s Lee Fang-chih-Lee Fang-jen in the ongoing French Open, are using the tournaments as a warm-up for their Birmingham stint.
While applauding Aaron-Wooi Yik, Chong Ming believes women doubles shuttlers Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah’s disappointing performance at the French Open needs to be thoroughly looked at.
The world No. 15 pair’s run at the Super 750 tournament ended after crashing out in the opening round to China’s Zhang Shuxian-Zheng Yu 18-21, 21-16, 21-12 on Wednesday (March 6) at the Adidas Arena in Paris.
“There are three aspects that I think we need to look into,” said Chong Ming, who was the duo’s coach at Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) before leaving in 2022.
“Firstly, we need to be sure whether they have any injury problems.
“Then, we need to look at their partnership, to see if they are in line with each other or not.
“And we also need to look at their training direction. But I can’t compare much because I’m not directly involved in their training scene.”
Meanwhile, Chong Ming, who is also the director of Pioneer Sports Management, said their just-concluded annual Daikin International Badminton Tournament, had attracted 1,500 participants from various countries.
“Athletes from across the globe including China, Thailand, Singapore, India, Japan, Indonesia, Azerbaijan, South Korea, and Hong Kong displayed their extraordinary resilience on the courts.
“Throughout the tournament, players competed fiercely across various categories, showcasing their agility, speed, and strategic prowess,” he said.
The tournament had also been recognised by the Malaysia Book of Records for featuring the highest number of categories in any badminton championship with 27 categories.
