KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s men’s doubles pair, Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, pulled off an extraordinary comeback to secure Malaysia’s first medal at the Paris Olympics by defeating Denmark’s Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen today.
In the thrilling bronze medal match at Porte de La Chapelle Arena, Aaron and Wooi Yik initially struggled but mounted a remarkable comeback in the second set to force a decisive rubber set.
Riding the wave of their momentum, the Malaysian pair clinched victory with a score of 16-21, 22-20, 21-19.
For Aaron, this comeback with Wooi Yik stands out as the most remarkable of their careers.
At one point, they were trailing by four points with the Danish pair on the verge of clinching the bronze medal in the second game.
“I believe this is our greatest comeback in a major tournament. It’s definitely a first for us compared to our previous World Championship final,” Aaron said in a post-match interview with the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
“We are proud to play for Malaysia and proud that we won a medal for Malaysia.”
Wooi Yik echoed Aaron’s sentiments, explaining that despite being far behind and with their opponents on the brink of victory, they never considered giving up.
“I don’t think so (to give up). Aaron and I talked and decided to fight on because it was our last match and a crucial opportunity for points.
“We wanted to give it our all, avoid mistakes, and stay positive. It felt like a miracle when we reached 20-all – and at that point, we started to believe we could win the second game.
“Looking at our performance, we need to be more solid, especially with the first three shots and throughout the early stages of the match.
“Before the final set, I didn’t perform as well as I should have. I made several mistakes in those initial shots, which added pressure. Our strategy was to create angles and attack the middle, which was part of our tactical approach,” said Wooi Yik.
Despite not reaching their goal of winning gold, retaining the bronze medal from this competition offers some consolation.
Ironically, Aaron and Wooi Yik were also the ones to deliver Malaysia’s first medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics before cycling star Datuk Azizulhasni Awang won a silver in the keirin event.
“I think there’s not much to celebrate because it’s still a bronze medal. Our target was higher, but at least for now, we have secured a medal for Malaysia,” Aaron added. – August 4, 2024.