PETALING JAYA: Thank you, fans.
Doubles shuttlers Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik were overwhelmed by the warm welcome as they arrived at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 1 (KLIA) from Paris on Wednesday.
More than 300 fans had waited early, some more than two-and-a-half hours, to greet their badminton heroes after their courageous showing at the Paris Olympic Games.
As soon as the players arrived, loud and enthusiastic cheers erupted as fans, families and representatives from the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM), Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) and National Sports Council (NSC) tried to catch a glimpse and jostled to capture photos of their favourite players.
Aaron-Wooi Yik were joined by Lee Zii Jia, Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah and Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei.
In Paris, Aaron-Wooi Yik and Zii Jia smashed their way to bronze medals in the men’s doubles and singles respectively while Pearly-Thinaah and Tang Jie-Ee Wei battled their way to the semi-finals and quarter-finals respectively.
Aaron-Wooi Yik, who are also former world champions, expressed their gratitude to the fans for their unwavering support and for travelling all the way to the airport to welcome the team back.
“We thank our supporters here at home and also those who even travelled to Paris to watch us play,” said Aaron.
“There are many people to thank for, the BAM, Road To Gold (RTG) team, our teammates, coaches, family members, and everyone who has been there for us regardless.”
Wooi Yik described that the bronze medal they won this year felt different from the one they earned at Tokyo 2020.
“When we were playing in Tokyo, the arena was empty, but this time, when we entered and played, we could feel the nerves and excitement from just hearing the cheers,” he said.
“We want to thank our fans for all the support.”
Not only did having fans in the arena make a difference for the shuttlers, their presence to welcome their heroes at the airport was also significant, as it contrasted sharply with the quiet return after Tokyo 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic.
