KEPONG – Former world number one men’s doubles player Tan Boon Heong has expressed concerns that Britain’s duo, Ben Lane and Sean Vendy, pose a greater threat to Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik at the Paris Olympics than China’s Liang Weikang and Wang Chang.
All three pairs have been drawn into Group A, along with Canada’s Adam Dong and Nyl Yakura.
Boon Heong’s cautionary note highlights Lane and Vendy’s potential to create upsets, possibly derailing Aaron and Wooi Yik’s quest to secure Malaysia’s first Olympic gold medal.
“Indeed, there is the world number one pair (Weikang and Wang Chang) in that group, but in the Olympic Games, anything can happen. For example, I was the top seed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics but still lost, so predicting such outcomes is difficult.
“They may be world number ones or top seeds on paper, but when it comes to the actual match, it’s about who is braver and performs better. Only then can we win.
“Now, Aaron and Wooi Yik are in the same group as the world number ones. Even if they lose to them, they still proceed to the quarter-finals, so from a points perspective, they need to focus on matches against the English pair.
“They (Lane and Vendy) have defeated many top players, so this is something we need to be cautious about,” said Boon Heong after hosting an exhibition match with former Indonesian star Marcus Fernaldi Gideon at Ace Sports World in Kepong today.
Aaron and Wooi Yik were upset by the English pair during the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022.
Despite being undefeated in their four previous encounters, Aaron and Wooi Yik suffered a bitter loss in the gold medal match, with scores of 18-21, 21-17, 21-4.
At the Paris Olympics, Aaron and Wooi Yik need to overcome the Canadian pair and defeat Lane and Vendy to enhance their chances of advancing to the knockout stage.
According to the Olympics competition format, only the top two pairs in each group will advance to the quarter-finals.
Three years ago in Tokyo, Aaron and Wooi Yik surprised many by clinching the bronze medal after defeating Indonesia’s Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan.
Now, they are regarded as vital carriers of Malaysia’s gold medal hopes in Paris. – July 20, 2024