PETALING JAYA: Former world No. 2 pair Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik believe being paired with new partners will provide an opportunity for both players to grow.
Wooi Yik said he accepted the decision, understanding it was made as part of the Badminton Association of Malaysia’s (BAM) efforts to achieve the country’s long-awaited Olympic gold medal at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
He also sees it as a valuable learning experience as he prepares to partner Man Wei Chong, starting at the Japan Open from July 14-19.
“I think this decision was made by the association as part of their plan to achieve the target of winning an Olympic gold medal. For now, we’ve been split up and we’re not sure when we’ll be paired together again.
“We’ll give it a try first. During this period, we’ll be playing with different partners, and I believe it will also be a good opportunity for us to gain experience and develop as players,” Wooi Yik told Badminton Magazine.
Wooi Yik and Aaron are currently in Shanghai alongside M. Thinaah, Chen Tang Jie and several other top players for the Yonex New Product Launch Event.
Aaron echoed his partner’s sentiments as he prepares to team up with Tee Kai Wun.
“Within the team, we’re among the senior players, so we’ve now been paired with younger teammates for these tournaments.
“As Wooi Yik said, this is a learning experience and an opportunity for us to grow because we’ve been partners for such a long time and have never played with different partners in Super 750 or Super 1000 tournaments.
“Over the next few months, we’ll make the most of this opportunity. It’s a chance for us to show what we’re capable of in different aspects of the game. We don’t know what the plan will be after this, so for now we’re just focused on giving our best,” said Aaron.
Aaron, however, will first partner Aaron Tai at the China Open from July 21-26 before teaming up with Kai Wun once they have accumulated enough ranking points to qualify for the higher-tier World Tour events.
In the meantime, Kai Wun will partner Yap Roy King, while Wan Arif Wan Junaidi has been paired with Kang Khai Xing.
