KUALA LUMPUR – Soh Wooi Yik’s earliest possible return to competitive action could be at the China Open, scheduled from September 17 to 22.
However, national men’s doubles coach Tan Bin Shen said he is keeping his expectations low.
Speaking to the media today at the Akademi Badminton Malaysia (ABM), Bin Shen gave an encouraging update on Wooi Yik’s recovery following the fractured toe he suffered during the Paris Olympics.
Bin Shen confirmed that Wooi Yik, who partners with Aaron Chia to make up the world number three pairing, has resumed light skill training but has yet to return to full-court practice.
Given the circumstances, Bin Shen noted that it is crucial for the 26-year-old to fully recover before making his competitive comeback.
“Wooi Yik underwent a scan on Tuesday, and the results have been positive. He can walk and move around now, and he’s started light skill training.
“However, he hasn’t resumed full-court training yet. We will only send him to tournaments once he’s back on court.
“For now, I can confirm that he won’t compete in the Hong Kong Open next week, but we’ll continue to monitor his condition to see if he can play in China.
“The priority is to ensure Wooi Yik makes a full recovery before committing to any tournaments,” said Bin Shen, who revealed that Wooi Yik first sustained the injury in the Paris Olympics semi-final defeat to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang.
Despite the injury, Aaron and Wooi Yik pushed on and defended their bronze medal from the 2020 Tokyo Games, which they claimed after defeating Denmark’s Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen in the third-place playoff.
“Wooi Yik actually picked up the injury during the semi-final. Despite the pain, he managed to play in the bronze medal match.
“It’s important that he doesn’t rush his recovery now. The doctors have stressed that his bone needs time to heal properly.
“This is different from a muscle or ligament injury,” added Bin Shen, who also shared that Aaron has been training on his own in Wooi Yik’s absence.
Earlier, Scoop had reported that Aaron will not force his partner to make a swift return to competitive action, even if it means missing out on the opportunity to qualify for the season-ending World Tour Finals in December. – September 6, 2024