MELAKA, Aug 18 — Taking a long break will have to wait for national doubles shuttler Aaron Chia who recently won a bronze medal at the just ended Tokyo Olympics 2020.

This is because after the Tokyo Olympics, Aaron will be playing in two major tournaments namely the Thomas Cup and the Sudirman Cup.

Aaron said the 10-day rest he had after returning from Tokyo was enough for him to keep the momentum going to face both tournaments.

"I will be back training on August 24. I will take the opportunity to discuss with the coaches how I can further improve on my performance,” Aaron told reporters after receiving a cash reward as victory incentive prize at the Yang Dipertua Negeri Melaka’s office at Seri Negeri here today.

The mission to bring home the Thomas Cup is led by national singles player Lee Zii Jia and also doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik. The Batu Berendam-born shuttler admits feeling the pressure like when he was preparing for the Olympics.

"There is pressure but I will be using it to motivate me to give my best. That is why I need to prepare myself more just, like when I was preparing for the Olympics. In fact, I have to give more because the Thomas Cup is a team event,” he said.

The Sudirman Cup 2021 is scheduled to begin from September 26 until October 3 at Vantaa, Finland while the Thomas Cup will be held in Aarhus, Denmark from October 9 to October 17.

The doubles duo of Aaron-Soh Woi Yik clinched the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 after defeating the experienced Indonesian pair of Mohamad Ahsan-Hendra Setiawan 17-21, 21-17, 21-14.

At the victory incentive prize presentation ceremony, Aaron received RM50,000 for the bronze medal and another RM3,000 as incentive for representing the country at the Olympics. — Bernama