KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 24 — Will national men’s doubles partnership Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik reunite as a pair?

That remains one of the big questions following their creditable runners-up finish at the 2026 World Championships in New Delhi, India, after the Malaysians went down to China’s Liang Wei Keng-Wang Chang in the final on Sunday.

The fourth seeds had to settle for second best placing following their 17-21, 16-21 loss to their third seeded opponents in 35-minutes during the prestigious tournament held at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.

National men’s doubles head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi said a decision on whether the former world champions will be reunited, would only be made towards the end of the year.

“We will have discussions in the future and by year end a decision will be made. So, for the time being they will experience with their partners and see how far the partnership goes,” he told Bernama.

Aaron-Wooi Yik were reunited at the world meet after last playing together at the Indonesia Open in June.

The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) made a strategic shake-up in the national men’s doubles department in the same month, pairing Aaron with rising men’s doubles player Aaron Tai, while Wooi Yik was partnered with Man Wei Chong.

According to BAM, the fresh combinations were part of its long-term plan to deliver Malaysia’s first Olympic Games gold medal at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Last month, BAM announced that Aaron is also scheduled to play with Wei Chong’s former partner, Tee Kai Wun while leaving out Wooi Yik from the squad for the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, which will kick off Sept 19-Oct 4.

Commenting on Aaron-Wooi Yik’s performance in the final, Herry admitted that his charges were below their best against Wei Keng-Wang Chang.

The Indonesian said the two-time Olympic Games bronze medallist failed to reproduce the level they showed in their stunning semi-final victory over top seeds from South Korea Kim Won Ho-Seo Seung Jae, 21-17, 21-18, on Saturday.

“Their performance was a below par…many unforced errors, especially Aaron. The Chinese pair also played with a lot of confidence when facing Aaron-Wooi Yik,” he said.

Despite the defeat, Herry said reaching the final itself was a commendable achievement given the intense competition in the men’s doubles event, where major titles have been changing hands in recent months.

The result saw Wei Keng-Wang become the first Chinese men’s doubles pair to win the world title in eight years, after Li Junhui-Liu Yuchen last won it in Nanjing, China.

The world No. 3 pair also extended their dominance over Aaron-Wooi Yik, having now won 12 of their 15 meetings.

The defeat saw the Malaysians fail to end their long title drought after they last won a tournament in the Singapore Open 2025, defeating Won Ho-Seung Jae 15-21, 21-18, 21-19.

At the 2022 edition, Aaron-Wooi Yik created history by becoming the first Malaysian badminton representatives to win a world title after defeating former Indonesian pair and three-time champions Mohammad Ahsan-Hendra Setiawan 21-19, 21-14 in Tokyo. — Bernama