KUALA LUMPUR: Newly crowned Asian men’s doubles champions Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik hope to hit peak form at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles (LA28).
Wooi Yik said their hunger for Olympic success has not diminished even after winning bronze at the last two editions — Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024.
“We definitely want to continue for another four years until the next Olympics. After Paris 2024, this is our chance to rebuild, and we still have a few more years to prepare for LA28,” he said when met recently.
He said they are still adapting to the training style introduced by new national men’s doubles head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi.
“He has coached many top players in the past, so we really trust him,” he said.
Although Herry has only been in charge of the national men’s doubles squad for two months, he has already worked his magic, guiding Aaron-Wooi Yik to their maiden regional title at the 2025 Badminton Asia Championships (BAC) in Ningbo, China.
They were crowned 2025 BAC champions after defeating China’s Chen Bo Yang-Liu Yi 21-19, 21-17 in the final.
Their win ended Malaysia’s 18-year title drought in the men’s doubles event at the BAC — the last triumph came in 2007 through Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah in Johor Bahru.
Herry, nicknamed ‘The Dragon’, previously coached Olympic gold medallists Candra Wijaya-Tony Gunawan (Sydney 2000) and Hendra Setiawan-Markis Kido (Beijing 2008), dedicating 31 years to guiding Indonesia’s badminton squad.