KUALA LUMPUR — While the focus is on preparing national men’s doubles player, Soh Wooi Yik to make a strong return after a long break, national coaching director Rexy Mainaky does not mind if his player misses out on qualifying for the BWF World Tour Finals at the end of this year.
Wooi Yik, who partners with Aaron Chia, has not competed since winning a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics in August due to a right leg injury.
Currently ranked 15th in the World Tour Finals standings, they face an uphill task, as only the top eight players and pairs will qualify for the tournament, scheduled for December 11-15 in Hangzhou, China.
To secure a spot, Aaron and Wooi Yik need to surpass three fellow Malaysian pairs—newly crowned China Open champions Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani (ranked fifth), Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun (ranked seventh), and Choong Hon Jian-Haikal Nazri (ranked eighth).
“We don’t mind if we don’t qualify this time, it’s okay, we can try again next year.
“For now, the focus is on the tournaments that have been scheduled. If they can become champions (in upcoming tournaments), qualifying for the World Tour Finals will happen on its own,” said Rexy.
Despite qualifying for the World Tour Finals four times since 2019, Aaron and Wooi Yik have yet to advance beyond the group stage.
Rexy announced that Aaron and Wooi Yik are expected to return to competition at the Arctic Open on October 8.
He expressed satisfaction with Wooi Yik’s recovery progress but emphasised the importance of getting him back to peak condition.
“I emphasised to Wooi Yik the importance of regaining his tournament feel, especially since he hasn’t competed for over a month since the Olympics, which is still a relatively short time.
“However, he hasn’t held a racket for more than two weeks, so we want to refocus his mindset, boost his motivation, and prepare him for upcoming competitions, as his current condition is certainly different.
“We’ve observed that many players who participated in the Olympics are not performing as well. Therefore, we want to reset Wooi Yik’s thinking.
“Wooi Yik has been training normally, which I’ve noticed since last Thursday and Friday, and now he is just setting his focus. Aaron has already asked about tournaments, and he may want to compete in the Korea Masters after missing the events in China and Hong Kong,” he added. — September 25, 2024