Going further: Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik looking more lithe and agile on court. — FAIHAN GHANI/The Star
PETALING JAYA: National doubles shuttler Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik’s lean, mean and fit avatar appearance grabbed all eyeballs after a training session yesterday.
The change in the physique was more apparent in Aaron but it was indeed a clear indication that the world No. 5 pair are shaping up in style to take a shot at gold at the Paris Olympics from July 27-Aug 5.
The duo have been undergoing three sessions of training daily, including their 8pm night sessions under coach Tan Bin Shen.
And Aaron added that they had been careful with their diet in order to become a power-packed and faster unit on court.
“We have been watching on what we eat and the three sessions of training under coach Bin Shen has also helped us in losing weight. It has helped in reducing fat and improving muscle strength,” said Aaron.
“We hope with lighter weight, we will be able to give an improved performance at the Olympics.
“I think we have improved a lot on physical condition over the last few weeks as we have gone all out in training.
“We want to keep a low profile heading to the Olympics and I feel that being unseeded for Paris is also an advantage for us.”
Only the top four pairs – Liang Weikeng-Wang Chang of China, Denmark’s Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen, India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty and Kang Min-hyuk-Seo Seung-jae of South Korea – will be seeded in Paris.
“We also want to approach this Olympics as though we are playing for the first time,” said Aaron.
They played at the 2020 Tokyo Games and saved Malaysia the blushes by winning badminton solitary medal – a bronze.
Aaron-Wooi Yik overcame then world No. 1 Markus Fernaldi-Kevin Sanjaya of Indonesia in the quarter-finals and beat another experienced Indonesian combination Muhammad Ahsan-Hendra Setiawan en route to a podium finish in their debut.
However, Aaron said all those exploits and their ground-breaking triumph at the 2022 World Championships will be forgotten as they want to approach Paris cautiously.
“The men’s doubles will be very competitive this time and the seeded pairs will have intense pressure compared to others,” said Aaron.
“Of course, we would want to try and achieve what no Malaysian have ever done before (win a gold) but more importantly, we want to enjoy every match we play and perform without pressure.”
Wooi Yik had also decided to stay at the Academy Badminton Malaysia’s (ABM) hostel since last month and this has also helped him focus totally on his preparation for the Olympics.
“Of course fitness and strength is going to help us in Paris because we will have tough matches in the group and knockout stage. So, physically and mentally, we will be prepared for the challenge,” said Wooi Yik.
“We know what is expected of Aaron and me and we just want to use the remaining weeks to be in our best condition to prove what we are capable of.”
On paper, Aaron-Wooi Yik may not appear the favourites for a podium finish but their strong track record in major events and ideal physical could help them send shockwaves in Paris.
