'If we meet them, we'll whack them'
"Ask them how they'll fare if they meet us in the third round?", interjected a grinning Aaron as he passed by Arif and Roy King who were being interviewed by reporters at the Academy Badminton Malaysia today.
Arif, who won the recent Macau Open with Roy King, didn't back down and retorted: "If we meet them, we'll whack them."
Aaron's challenge is also a strong indication that both pairs are quietly confident of setting up an all-Malaysia third-round clash in Paris.
However, Arif doesn't want to lose focus on the tough first-round clash against Japan's world No. 34 Kenya Mitsuhashi-Hiroki Okamura, and a possible second-round meeting with Thailand's world No. 12 Dechapol Puavaranukroh–Kittinupong Kedren.
"We have tough opponents in the earlier rounds, so we want to clear those hurdles first before thinking about playing Aaron–Wooi Yik," said Arif.
Roy King said: 'It will be good if we can meet Aaron-Wooi Yik in the last 16, as this will confirm at least one Malaysian pair in the quarter-finals.
"We have the fire in us to upset higher-ranked pairs at the World Championships."
World No. 2 and second-seeded Aaron-Wooi Yik have received a first-round bye and are likely to meet either Scotland's world No. 40 Christopher Grimley-Matthew Grimley or Spain's world No. 89 Daniel Franco-Rodrigo Sanjurjo in the second round.
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Borneo Post
43 minutes ago
- Borneo Post
The fastest 12-year-old ever
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This cautious approach echoes similar warnings from some top track stars against pushing the Australian young sprinting star, Gout Gout, too hard and too fast. Burnout is a concern being discussed and addressed by his team to shield the promising sprinter from emotional, physical and mental exhaustion that could come with the pressures of high public expectations. While Gout Gout has been compared to Usain Bolt, some commentators have called for him to be given time to develop mental resilience and manage expectations to avoid burnout. He is expected to compete at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow next year and the World Junior Championships in Oregon. The push for gold medals can be as stressful for star athletes as the intensity of public scrutiny and the unrelenting glare of the media, often wearing out athletes prematurely. Pan Zhanle, a Chinese Olympic champion and current world 100M freestyle record holder, was applauded for disbanding his official fan group after being overwhelmed by unbridled fans' attention following his success at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Sports prodigies naturally attract followers, and fan groups could also be a concern for Yu in the future, cautioned Zhang. However, he pointed out that it may not be a good thing if Yu is living in isolation,' noting that learning to interact with the media is a necessary part of an athlete's development. Other concerned quarters commended the Chinese media for covering Yu in a restrained tone, saying, just let the kid stay focused on training. Meanwhile, Malaysia's run at the Singapore World Aquatics Championships ended on a subdued note. 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