You gotta have faith
PETALING JAYA: It's rare for the world No. 2 men's doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik to give up the chance to represent the country at the Thailand SEA Games.
But they are prepared to pass the baton to Malaysia's next generation of players, confident in the depth of the men's doubles to deliver the gold at the biennial Games from Dec 9-20.
They can then focus on the World Tour Finals from Dec 17-21, which clashes with the SEA Games.
The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) are aiming to send their strongest squad to win the gold and Aaron believes they have several capable combinations who can deliver, even without him and Wooi Yik in the line-up.
Apart from Aaron-Wooi Yik, Malaysia also have other strong pairs, including world No. 22 Wan Arif Wan Junaidi-Yap Roy King and world No. 43 Choong Hon Jian-Mohd Haikal Nazri.
World No. 7, Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun may also have to be on standby for the World Tour Finals in Hangzhou in December as both pairs are currently in the best position to qualify.
'I'll be ready, but I'm handing that mission to players like Arif-Roy King or Haikal-Hon Jian, as I have already played in the SEA Games.
'This will be a good opportunity and stepping stone for them,' said Aaron, who won gold at the 2019 SEA Games in the Philippines.
Last December, BAM had announced their intention to send a strong team to the Thailand Games following a disappointing outing at the 2023 edition in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
On that occasion, BAM fielded a line-up of younger players.
Not only did they return without a gold medal, missing their target of one gold, but the women's team also suffered a shock 0-3 defeat to the Philippines in the quarter-finals.
Roy King and Hon Jian were both in action in Phnom Penh, but in the mixed doubles.
Hon Jian partnered Yap Ling and reached the quarter-finals, while Roy King teamed up with Cheng Su Yin to make the final before settling for silver.
Malaysia's overall haul from the Games was two silvers and four bronzes.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
6 hours ago
- The Star
Azeem named for mission up north, but not all's certain
PETALING JAYA: National sprint ace Mohd Azeem Fahmi has been named in Malaysia's 52-strong athletics squad for the SEA Games in Thailand this December. However, national head coach Manshahar Abd Jalil stressed that this does not guarantee the national 100m record holder's participation, as Malaysia Athletics (MA) are still in talks with him. Azeem has also been listed for two other events — 200m and 4x100m — and is among 35 athletes named in Category A, where all expenses will be fully covered by the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM). Manshahar described the 21-year-old as an asset to the national contingent in their medal hunt at the SEA Games, but acknowledged that the 21-year-old has commitments to Auburn University's National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) schedule. 'Before leaving for Odisha in India recently, I met him personally with representatives from the National Sports Council (NSC). He told us he would be returning to the United States soon to meet his coach, Ken Harnden,' said Manshahar. 'We will follow up to determine the best approach to see if he can return to Malaysia for the SEA Games. Discussions are still ongoing and this will require agreement between the coach and athlete.'' On Sunday, Azeem underlined his class by winning the men's 100m gold at the Indian Open in 10.35s, with teammate Danish Ikftikhar Mohd Roslee taking bronze in 10.50s. Still, he has admitted to being in a dilemma over competing at the SEA Games, citing his NCAA calendar and newly commenced classes at Auburn University. He will also skip the Malaysian Open from Aug 29-31 in Kangar, Perlis. Two years ago, the Perak-born sprinter had also missed the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia, as he had just begun his studies in the United States then.
The Star
7 hours ago
- The Star
Top pairs could still be included in SEA Games team
Malaysia men's doubles shuttlers Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik in action against South Korea's Kim Young-hyuk-Wang Chan during the first round of Malaysian Masters at Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil on Wednesday. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star PETALING JAYA: National doubles pairs Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah and Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei remain in the Badminton Association of Malaysia's (BAM) plans for the SEA Games in Thailand this December. National doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky said BAM have yet to finalise the 20-player list for the biennial multi-sport event following a selection committee meeting with the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. BAM have requested a one-week extension before submitting the final list to OCM, citing concerns that main rivals Thailand and Indonesia may also field strong pairs in their bid for gold. 'Thailand will be sending their strongest squad, and I understand Kunlavut (Vitidsarn) will also be competing,' said Rexy. 'We still need to discuss further, including with the singles camp led by Kenneth (Jonassen) and other coaches such as Herry (Iman Pierngadi) for the men's doubles. 'We are among the top three contenders. If Thailand and Indonesia send their strongest teams, we will do the same. If not, we will at least send a line-up capable of mounting a strong challenge. He also dismissed concerns of a scheduling clash between the SEA Games and the BWF World Tour Finals in Hangzhou, China. The badminton competition at the SEA Games will take place from Dec 8 to 14, while the World Tour Finals are scheduled for Dec 17 to 21. Earlier, Aaron expressed his intention to make way for other pairs such as world No. 7 Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun or the in-form Wan Arif Wan Junaidi-Yap Roy King, who recently won the Macau Open, to compete in Thailand. Aaron and Wooi Yik previously won the men's doubles gold medal at the 2019 SEA Games in Manila, the Philippines. Rexy said while he respected Aaron's view, a thorough discussion must be held before making any decision. 'It doesn't mean I don't support what Aaron said. I respect it, but there are many factors to consider and matters that require detailed discussion. ''We value the players' opinions, and in men's doubles, we have several other strong combinations,' he added.
The Star
7 hours ago
- The Star
Young divers Yiat Qing and Enrique won't get chance to defend titles at SEA Games
Malaysia's Enrique Harold competes in the preliminary round of the men's 10m platform diving event during the 2024 World Aquatics Championships at Hamad Aquatics Centre in Doha on February 9, 2024. (Photo by SEBASTIEN BOZON / AFP) PETALING JAYA: In a major surprise, diving talents Lee Yiat Qing and Enrique Harold Maccartney will not get the chance to win back-to-back SEA Games gold medals for Malaysia in December. Yiat Qing and Enrique joined seasoned diver Pandelela Rinong on the sidelines as Malaysia bank on a relatively inexperienced squad to maintain their dominance in the sport. Pandelela's lingering injury put paid to the younger Yiat Qing's chances to make a second SEA Games appearance in the women's 10m platform synchro event. Yiat Qing was paired off with Pandelela a few months back to prepare for the women's 10m platform synchro event. It is the only event for women's diving while the men's action s will see contests in the 1m and 3m springboard individual, and 3m springboard synchro. Yiat Qing was only 15 when she made her SEA Games debut by winning gold in the women's 10m platform individual at the Cambodia SEA Games in 2023 and she was subsequently promoted to the Podium programme this year. Enrique claimed gold for Malaysia in the men's 10m platform individual but has to miss the SEA Games this time as the event has not been included by the Thailand organisers despite appeals from numerous countries. Nur Eilisha Rania and Nurul Farisya Alia Affendi will shoulder the challenge for gold in the women's 10m platform synchro. "Pandelela's shoulder injury has not improved and we have to exclude Yiat Qing for the SEA Games as there is no individual platform this time," said diving technical director Yeoh Ken Nee. "Rania and Farisya are the second ranked pair behind Pandelela-Yiat Qing in the women's 10m platform synchro and gold medallists for Sarawak in the event at the Malaysia Games (Sukma) last year. "Rania and Farisya finished second and are not far off from Pandelela-Yiat Qing in the national trials, so hopefully they can get their act together at the SEA Games.'' Nur Eilisha and Nurul, together with Elvis Priestly Anak Clement, are going under category B while defending men's 3m springboard champion Mohd Syafiq Puteh will compete under category A along with debutants Nurqayyum Nazmi Mohd Nazim and Yong Rui Jie. Elvis was Malaysia's best individual performer at the World Championships in Singapore recently when he reached the semi-finals (top 18) of the men's 10m platform individual. But Elvis will have to see action in the men's 3m springboard this time. "It is not confirmed yet as to who will compete in what events for the springboard divers,'' added Ken Nee. "We do have a tough fight going on for the gold medals this time, especially from Singapore but we will try our best to continue the good results." The last time Malaysia did not finish with a clean sweep in diving was at the 2017 SEA Games. Malaysia bagged a total of 13 gold medals but had to surrender the women's 3m springboard synchro title to Singapore after Wendy Ng Yan Yee committed a doping violation. In Cambodia, Malaysia won a total of four gold, two silver and one bronze medals.
