Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik facts
Malaysia is known for its excellence in badminton, thanks to Datuk Lee Chong Wei and the legends before him who have made us proud by winning multiple world titles and medals in international games.
Since they have retired from sports, we are now rooting for upcoming athletes such as Lee Zii Jia and men’s doubles players Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in Malaysia’s quest for its first gold medal in badminton at the Olympics.
Here’s a list of 9 facts about rising stars Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik that every Malaysian should know, including how they recently clinched a bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and won Malaysia’s first-ever gold medal at the BWF World Championships.
Table of Contents
- Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik facts
- 1. They started playing together for Malaysia since 2015
- 2. They are ranked in the top 10 for men’s doubles globally
- 3. They won their first & only gold medal in badminton at the SEA Games
- 4. They beat world no. 1 pair Gideon-Sukamuljo at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics
- 5. Aaron Chia is from Malacca and Soh Wooi Yik is from KL
- 6. They are both right-handed and can speak up to 4 languages
- 7. Soh Wooi Yik comes from a family of legendary badminton players
- 8. They have been finishing 2nd in most of their previous matches
- 9. They won Malaysia’s first-ever badminton world title
- Badminton men’s doubles players Aaron Chia & Soh Wooi Yik
1. They started playing together for Malaysia since 2015
Image credit: 100PLUS Malaysia via Facebook
Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik started representing Malaysia internationally as a pair in 2015 when they were partnered together in November that year for the 2016 World Junior Championships.
Chia became a part of the national badminton team in 2015 after his international debut in 2014 in the Indonesia International Series. Soh’s international debut was earlier than Chia, when he participated in the 2012 Smiling Fish International Series. However, he was only recruited into the national team in 2017.
Prior to that, he was a part of the Malaysian BWF World Junior Championships team in 2015 and 2016.
2. They are ranked in the top 10 for men’s doubles globally
Image credit: Badminton World Federation
Chia and Soh ranked 9th in the world for badminton men’s doubles with 65,228 cumulative points from a total of 28 matches back in 2021. As of 20th June 2023, they have worked their way up and are now ranked 4th in the world with 81,794 points.
3. They won their first & only gold medal in badminton at the SEA Games
Image credit: @sohwooiyik via Instagram
Although they rank top 10 in the world, they won their first and only gold medal at the 2019 SEA Games held in the Philippines.
In the finals, they played against Thailand’s Bodin Isara and Maneepong Jongjit. They lost the first set of the game by three points, scoring 18–21, but they did not hold back. They continued to deliver the best game and conquered the next two sets with scores of 21–15 and 21–16.
4. They beat world no. 1 pair Gideon-Sukamuljo at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics
Image credit: @aaronchiatengfong via Instagram
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics was Chia and Soh’s first Olympic games – and they delivered their best and won Malaysia’s first-ever medal in the badminton event in 2021.
For the first time in their eight attempts against Indonesia’s Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo, Chia and Soh clinched a historic win.
They stormed into the semi-finals by defeating the world no.1 men’s doubles players from Indonesia in straight sets in the quarter-finals match with scores of 21-14 and 21-17. In the semi-finals, they played against China’s Li Jun Hui and Liu Yu Chen.
5. Aaron Chia is from Malacca and Soh Wooi Yik is from KL
Image credit: @aaronchiatengfong via Instagram
Chia and Soh are still young and they should have a couple more Olympics to play before they retire. Chia’s full name is Aaron Chia Teng Fong. The 24-year-old Malaccan is already married and has two adorable kids. He started playing badminton at the age of seven.
Meanwhile, Soh is from Kuala Lumpur and is 23 this year. He started playing as early as four years old. He became a professional badminton player at the age of six.
6. They are both right-handed and can speak up to 4 languages
Image credit: @aaronchiatengfong via Instagram
The unifying factor for Chia and Soh in badminton has to be the fact that they both are right-handed. Soh’s 185 cm height and Chia athletic physique give the pair the perfect advantage of powerful smashes and great endurance during competitions.
Another similarity between the two is that both of them can speak four languages – English, Malay, Mandarin and Cantonese.
7. Soh Wooi Yik comes from a family of legendary badminton players
Image credit: @sohwooiyik via Instagram
Perhaps the most astounding revelation about Soh is his historic family background. His father Soh Goon Chup and his uncle Soo Beng Kiang are former badminton players. His father played for the national team in the 70s.
His uncle Soo was an Olympian and he had partnered with the legendary Datuk Cheah Soon Kit to help Malaysia win the Thomas Cup in 1992. This explains why Soh started playing badminton so early in life and became a professional when he was just 6 years old!
8. They have been finishing 2nd in most of their previous matches
Image credit: @sohwooiyik via Instagram
Chia and Soh have finished in second place in most of the international competitions they have participated in. They have won multiple silver medals and second place in tournaments.
Some of the competitions are the BWF SaarLorLux Open in 2018 against Marcus Ellis and Chris Langridge from England, the 2018 Malaysia International and the 2019 All England Open against Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan from Indonesia.
They have also played against Maneepong Jongjit and Nanthakarn Yordphaisong from Thailand in the 2018 Vietnam International, finishing at second place.
9. They won Malaysia’s first-ever badminton world title
Image credit: Twitter
Chia and Soh had another historic win recently – they were crowned world champions at the Badminton World Championships 2022 on 28th August. They are the first Malaysians to receive the title.
The pair secured the title after beating Indonesia’s Mohd Ahsan-Hendra Setiawan with scores of 21-19 and 21-14.
Badminton men’s doubles players Aaron Chia & Soh Wooi Yik
It’s great to see that Malaysia is continuing its legacy in badminton with the next generation of players such as Chia and Soh, both of whom have come a long way in the sport with their hard work and dedication.
We look forward to cheering them on at future tournaments.
Read more inspiring stories about Malaysia athletes:
- 8 facts about the handsome Malaysian swimmer Welson Sim
- 11 facts about football legend Mokhtar Dahari a.k.a Super Mokh
- 10 facts about 22-year-old badminton player Lee Zii Jia
- Nicol David voted the greatest athlete of all time
Cover image adapted from: @sohwooiyik via Instagram, @aaronchiatengfong via Instagram
This article was updated on 20th June 2023.
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