PETALING JAYA: The national coaches had their reasons for leaving men’s doubles shuttler Soh Wooi Yik out of the squad for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games from Sept 19-Oct 4.
Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) performance committee chairman Datuk Seri Lee Chong Wei said he had left the selection entirely to the coaching team and backed their judgment without interfering.
Chong Wei admitted that pairing Aaron Chia with Tee Kai Wun also came with risks, with the new combination potentially facing tougher opponents in the early rounds, but said the coaches were prepared to take responsibility for the decision.
The men’s doubles squad were in the midst of a reshuffle at the time, and the coaches had to weigh up all options before deciding which pairs stood the best chance of winning a medal.
Aaron-Wooi Yik were also going through a title drought, having last won at the Singapore Open last year.
“When we were selecting the players for the Asian Games, the coaches told me that, based on their form at the time, Aaron-Wooi Yik might not be able to win a medal.
“We had to find a solution and come up with the best combination for the Asian Games,” said Chong Wei when contacted.
“If you talk about their performance at the World Championships, yes, they played well.
“But the World Championships are held every year except in an Olympic year.
“The Asian Games only come around once every four years, so we have to send our best pairs, especially when the other slot had already gone to Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani.
“On top of that, when we had to submit the entries, Aaron-Wooi Yik had not been producing good results for about a year. The Asian Games are not like a BWF World Tour tournament because we have to submit the names much earlier.”
Chong Wei added that the coaches also felt Wooi Yik had not made enough progress in certain areas of his game despite being told what he needed to improve.
“Aaron-Wooi Yik have been together for a long time and, yes, they won the World Championships, but they have never won a Super 1000 title.
“There were also stretches of three or four tournaments where they lost to opponents who were not considered to be at their level. At the Hangzhou Asian Games, I was not with BAM yet and was only there as an RTG committee member.
“I watched him play against the Indian pair (Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty) and told Rexy (Mainaky) that he needed to think about the long term.
“If Wooi Yik does not improve his strength, he will have problems. At the Thailand SEA Games, when they played Sabar Gutama-Reza Pahlevi, you could see how much pressure he came under.
“Their game plan is very good, but Aaron often has to cover for Wooi Yik. You can see that in the way they play,” added Chong Wei.
