Malaysian Badminton Coach Continues Evaluation of Chia-Soh Partnership Despite World Championship Silver

Despite securing a silver medal at the 2026 World Championships, the Malaysian men's doubles partnership of Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik remains under scrutiny, with head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi indicating that their future as a permanent pair is not yet assured. Pierngadi plans to continue evaluating their performance and compatibility with other partners until the end of the year.

While acknowledging the positive achievement of reaching the final in their first tournament together since the Indonesia Open in June, Pierngadi stated that the result does not alter the ongoing restructuring process for the doubles pairs. He confirmed that Chia and Soh would be separated once again following the World Championships. This separation is intended to provide opportunities to assess their synergy with different teammates before finalizing the optimal long-term combination.

"Although they didn't win, the result they achieved was quite good," Pierngadi commented at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. "If they had won the championship, it would have been even better." He believes that the brief periods of separation have not eroded the strong rapport built over their long partnership, emphasizing their ability to perform well even when reunited.

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Although they didn't win, the result they achieved was quite good. If they had won the championship, it would have been even better.

Pierngadi noted that their 17-21, 16-21 loss in the final to China's Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang did not negate their positive performance. However, the coaching team requires more data and results before making a definitive conclusion. "In my opinion, the result was good even without winning the championship; losing in the final was the maximum they could achieve," he added.

The coach reiterated that experiments with different pairings will continue, with final decisions on stable partnerships to be made by year-end. He explained that these strategic separations are not solely about finding new combinations but also serve as a platform for players, particularly younger ones, to gain experience and adapt to diverse playing styles.

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In my opinion, the result was good even without winning the championship; losing in the final was the maximum they could achieve.