PETALING JAYA: World No. 7 men’s doubles shuttler Man Wei Chong is unfazed about whether Aaron Chia or Soh Wooi Yik will be his partner at the Thailand SEA Games in December.
Wei Chong said he is ready to follow any plans set by the coaching team for the biennial event as long as it helps Malaysia bring home a medal.
Wei Chong, who partners Tee Kai Wun, may be split to form scratch pairs with either Aaron or Wooi Yik as part of the strategy to strengthen Malaysia’s challenge in Thailand.
If Wei Chong teams up with Aaron, it will revive memories of their stint together representing Petaling Badminton Club in the Purple League in 2018.
They have also played together in training before, although Wei Chong pointed out that it is very different from competing under real match conditions.
“I am already prepared (if we are paired). There has been no detailed discussion but I did hear from them about this matter (scratch pair),” said Wei Chong.
“What I heard is that this scratch pair is only for the SEA Games. In the Purple League I once partnered Aaron, but that was a long time ago when I was still a junior. Training together and playing together in a tournament are two different situations.
“We have not tested our chemistry yet because the focus is on the World Tour Finals,” said Wei Chong.
This will be Wei Chong’s second appearance at the SEA Games and he views it as a chance to make up for the disappointment he endured during his debut in Hanoi in 2023.
At that time, Wei Chong suffered a left knee injury while Kai Wun picked up a left ankle injury, which prevented them from contributing points in the men’s team event against Thailand. Malaysia went down 0–3 in the final and settled for silver.
To make matters worse, Wei Chong-Kai Wun were forced to withdraw from the individual event afterwards. Because of that, he hopes to complete this campaign without any injuries as just a few days later they will leave for Hangzhou for the World Tour Finals starting on Dec 17.
“I think since we are sending a full team to this SEA Games, it is a positive sign and it gives us confidence. Hopefully we can bring home a medal,” he said.
