PETALING JAYA: As praises for men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik continue to pour in after the duo won the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics, badminton icon Datuk Lee Chong Wei does not want them to follow in his footsteps.
But Chong Wei meant well, saying that he hopes Aaron-Wooi Yik’s next medal should not be the same colour and hopes they can outdo him.
“I don’t wish for you to be like me with three medals of the same colour. For your next medal, I pray it’s a different colour,” said Chong Wei.
As Malaysia’s most decorated Olympian, Chong Wei has three silver medals (2008 Beijing, 2012 London and 2016 Rio de Janeiro), while Aaron-Wooi Yik now have two bronze medals following their previous bronze finish at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Chong Wei praised Aaron-Wooi Yik for their resilience in fighting back against Denmark’s Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen in the bronze medal match on Sunday.
The Malaysians clawed their way back to win 16-21, 22-20, 21-19 against the Danes and gifted Malaysia its first medal in Paris. The turning point was when they had trailed16-20 in the second game but saved four match points and went on to win.
“What a game! First Olympic medal for Malaysia! So proud of you boys,” said Chong Wei.
“The second game, most people would think it’s a lost cause. But both of you never gave up, and you crawled back, point by point, and made us proud.
“One of the best comebacks Malaysians have ever seen. Congrats Aaron-Wooi Yik.”
Chong Wei hopes others will emulate the duo’s fighting spirit.
“As long as you don’t give up, there is always hope. This is the mission of donning the Malaysian flag, showing the badminton spirit to the nation,” said Chong Wei.
“Proud of your persistence and not giving up. It’s all about hitting the shuttle one point at a time, standing firm, and never giving up!”
“What an incredible game. It was a game that was supposed to be lost, but the men’s pairing from Melaka and Kuala Lumpur brought back hope step by step for the flag on their chests.
“Thank you Aaron-Wooi Yik. You are once again the heroes of the nation,” added Chong Wei.
