KUALA LUMPUR – National men’s doubles player, Aaron Chia, hopes the national team’s achievement of securing a bronze medal at the Thomas Cup, which concluded last Sunday, will not be undermined, even though the initial target was to become champions of the event.
Despite the team falling short of ending the nation’s 32-year wait to lift the Thomas Cup, securing a bronze medal is still a significant achievement.
This is especially noteworthy considering Malaysia had not progressed to the semi-finals in the past eight years.
Aaron revealed that before their departure to Chengdu, the national squad encountered numerous challenges, leading many to have low expectations for their performance.
Nevertheless, they proved otherwise by displaying outstanding performances before their journey ended at the hands of China, who later emerged as champions after defeating Indonesia in the final.
“This team is more or less the same as the previous editions, there’s me, (Lee) Zii Jia, (Leong) Jun Hao, so there are no senior teammates because we are all almost the same age and that makes it easy for us to communicate with each other, and our teamwork in the squad is also very good.
“This bronze medal is very meaningful for all of us, for me, this is something good to prove to all parties, because many consider our team to be not strong enough, but we managed to show actions beyond everyone’s expectations.
“I’m not saying I’m satisfied, but proud of what we have shown,” said Aaron, who was met at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) today.
Hence, Aaron believes that by maintaining and nurturing the current lineup of players, Malaysia has the potential to emerge as a formidable contender in the next edition of the Thomas Cup in Horsens, Denmark.
At the same time, Aaron feels that his performance with Soh Wooi Yik is on the right track two months before the start of the Paris Olympics in July.
Out of the four matches fought in the Thomas Cup, Aaron-Wooi Yik won three matches, including surprising the world number one pair, Liang Weikeng-Wang Chang in the semi-finals.
Three years ago in Tokyo, Aaron and Wooi Yik became the saviours of Malaysian pride by contributing to the bronze medal.
“I feel that our current situation can be said to be at the peak point, but in actuality, we are not there yet.
“We still have a few more championships, and it means we have the opportunity to compete with many of the world’s best pairs.
“We might have around four to six more championships before the Olympics, and at the same time, we also need to take care of ourselves,” he added. – May 7, 2024