SEPANG, Aug 25 — Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik’s silver medal win at the 2026 World Badminton Championships does not guarantee that they will remain a permanent pairing in the near future, said national men’s doubles head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi.
He stressed that a comprehensive assessment still needs to be carried out on their performance as well as other combinations before a final decision is made at the end of this year.
“Yes, although they didn’t win the championship, I think their result was quite good. But it would certainly have been better if they had become champions,” he told reporters upon arriving at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) here today.
Herry explained that the world No. 4 pair’s advantage lies in their existing chemistry, as they have been partnered together for a long time, although they were split for several tournaments before the world meet.
He described the quality of play displayed by the pair throughout the tournament as having reached an optimum level based on their current circumstances.
The 2022 world champions had to settle for the silver medal after losing 17-21, 16-21 to Chinese pair Liang Wei Keng-Wang Chang in the final at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi on Sunday.
Herry also said Aaron and Wooi Yik would once again be split up to compete in other tournaments, in line with the original strategy that had been set.
“That is indeed the plan. So after the World Championships, we will split them up again. Later, at the end of the year, we can look at the results and evaluate whether this pairing should remain or not,” he said.
Herry said the coaching team still needs to assess the effectiveness of other pairings that have been planned to determine their long-term potential.
He said the decision to rotate pairings in several tournaments previously had provided valuable experience for the younger players.
On the registration of players for the Asian Games, he stressed that no changes could be made as the registration deadline had already passed. — Bernama
