SEPANG — The national top men’s doubles pair, Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, have their sights set on boosting their Olympic ranking through the upcoming Badminton Asia Championships (BAC), scheduled for April 9 in Ningbo, China.
BAC, akin to a Super 1000 event, holds significant importance for the duo as breaking into the top four of the Race to Paris Olympic qualification ranking could provide them with a crucial advantage in the Olympic draw.
Currently positioned fifth in the Race to Paris ranking, with 90,664 points, they trail the Danish pair, Kim Astrup-Anders Skarup Rassmussen, who hold the fourth spot with 91,024 points.
“We view the BAC as a crucial opportunity to collect valuable ranking points for our Olympic campaign,” said Wooi Yik upon their return from the All England tournament at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) today.
“This will greatly influence our seeding and draw for the Paris Olympics (in July).
“Although our world ranking is currently high (fifth rank), maintaining this position requires our full dedication and focus.”
At the recently concluded All England tournament in Birmingham, Aaron-Wooi Yik narrowly missed securing their first title, falling short after losing to Indonesia’s Fajar Alfian-Muhammad Rian Ardianto in the final.
Unlike the usual BWF World Tour tournaments, in the Olympics, only four singles players and two pairs are designated seeded contenders, making each match and ranking crucial for qualification.
This underscores Aaron-Wooi Yik’s determination to progress further in BAC, especially considering their early defeat at last year’s event in Dubai, where they were eliminated in the second round by the Chinese Taipei duo, Lee Yang-Wang Chi Lin.
“As we prepare for the upcoming BAC and other tournaments, we understand the challenges ahead.
“This journey is not easy and comes with its pressures, but we are determined to perform at our best,” he added. — March 19, 2024