Kuala lumpur: National men's doubles head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi admitted that a major shake-up involving the national men's doubles pairing was a risk his side was taking. Herry described the action, including separating 2022 world champions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, as a bold step that needed to be taken to find the best combination and hopefully achieve good results ahead of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games (LA 2028) qualification campaign next year.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Herry emphasized the necessity of being courageous enough to take risks. He expressed that without daring attempts, the outcomes would remain unchanged. Herry noted that almost all other countries might adopt similar reshuffles. This move, he explained, was a calculated risk taken by the team. He shared these insights with reporters after a training session in Kuala Lumpur.
Last week, the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) announced the reshuffle involving Wooi Yik who will be paired with Man Wei Chong for the 2026 Japan Open from July 14-19. For the next series of tournaments, namely the China Open (July 21-26), Taiwan Open (July 28-Aug 2), and Korea Open (Nov 3-8), BAM has introduced several new combinations involving national players.
Aaron will be paired with young player Aaron Tai, while Tee Kai Wun will team up with Yap Roy King. Additionally, Wan Arif Wan Junaidi will partner with Kang Khai Xing, and the Wooi Yik-Wei Chong pair is scheduled to compete in all three tournaments. BAM also announced that Aaron-Kai Wun is expected to represent the country in the European Tour tournament, anticipated to take place in October.
Meanwhile, Herry clarified that there was no disagreement between Aaron and Wooi Yik; their separation was purely based on their performances this season. The two-time Olympic men's doubles bronze medallists have not secured any titles and have finished as runners-up twice at the Malaysia Open and the All England from nine appearances this year.
When asked about the targets for the new pairings in the upcoming tournaments, the Indonesian coach expressed his desire to see them achieve good results but acknowledged that it would depend on the tournament draw.