Two pairs in LA Olympics a possibility but Rexy stays wary of long road ahead
Still at the top: Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani reached No. 1 in the world last month.
PETALING JAYA: The more the merrier.
With world No. 1 Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, world No. 2 Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun (No. 7) and Yap Roy King-Wan Arif Wan Junaidi (No. 24) making their marks in the men's doubles, there is a good chance for Malaysia to have a maximum of two pairs in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The prospect is thrilling but the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky wants the boys to be on their toes as a lot of things can change in the next three years.
'Now, we have two pairs in the top two rankings in the world. We also have Wei Chong-Kai Wun and Arif-Roy King behind them,' said Rexy.
'Our players' rise is good as it gives them confidence and will put pressure on other countries.
'We hope to have four pairs in the world's top four before the Olympics in 2028. There's a good chance for four pairs to fight for the two spots to qualify for the Olympics.'
A country is allowed a maximum of two pairs in the showpiece event as long as both pairs are ranked in the world's top eight when the qualifying period ends. Rexy acknowledged that the road to the Olympics is still long and wants his charges not to take their foot off the pedal as they bid to end Malaysia's wait for the elusive gold medal.
'I do feel satisfied with our players' achievements but we can't afford to rest on our laurels as there are still many tournaments left and a long way still to go for the Olympics,' said Rexy.
'We may slip up if we are satisfied now but if we stay hungry and work hard from now on, I'm confident with the support of all parties, we have a good chance to win gold in 2028. We need to work even harder after this to maintain the players' performances. At the same time, we need to keep an eye on the progress of the pairs from the other countries to stay ahead of them.'
Aaron-Wooi Yik and Wei Chong-Kai Wun have been in fine form this year while Sze Fei-Izzuddin reached No. 1 in the world last month after their good showings last year and in January.
Youngsters Roy King-Arif have also shown promise since combining in 2023.
Wei Chong-Kai Wun, who captured the Indonesian Masters in January and Malaysian Masters last month were included in the Road to Gold (RTG) programme geared up towards the 2028 Olympics for the first time.
The other shuttlers in RTG are Aaron-Wooi Yik, Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah (women's doubles) and Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei (mixed doubles).
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