Malaysia’s men’s and women’s doubles badminton pairs – Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah, and Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik – play their semifinals of the Paris Olympic badminton tournament in a few hours.
The eyes of the world, especially those of the badminton community, are now on us. We should take immense pride in this moment.
In the highly competitive badminton world, where the top players are almost equal in skill, flair, and talent, any top 10-ranked player or pair can beat another. If our pairs play their best and have a bit of luck on their side, the game could be theirs.
Factors such as a good night’s sleep, mental strength, and the ability to focus on the next challenge are crucial.
The pair making the least number of mistakes will emerge victorious. We hope both pairs go all out and play “sampai mati”. Even if they lose, we know they tried their best.
Tan and Thinaah are the first Malaysian women’s pair to reach the semifinals of the Olympics badminton tournament. They take on top seeds Chen Qing Chen and Jia Yi Fan of China.
They achieved this remarkable milestone by defeating the All-England champions Kim So-yeong and Kong Hee-yong of South Korea, 21-12, 21-13.
Chia and Soh fought back from a first-game loss to defeat India’s highly regarded doubles pair, Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, 13-21, 21-14, 21-16 in the quarterfinals.
The world No. 3 Malaysians, who won a bronze at Tokyo 2020, will now face the world’s No. 1 pair, Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, for a chance to reach the Olympic final.
Both Malaysian pairs are hitting their peak and finding their rhythm at the perfect time. We hope they will continue to excel in the semifinals and make a grand finish!
Should they win, it will be the best Merdeka present for our country when we celebrate our independence on Aug 31. Let’s root for them to bring honour and pride to Malaysia.
Malaysian badminton players Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik celebrate after beating India’s Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy 13-21, 21-14, 21-16 in the quarterfinals on Aug 1. Image: OCM
