World No. 7 men’s doubles shuttler Man Wei Chong is unfazed about whether Aaron Chia or Soh Wooi Yik will be his partner at the Thailand SEA Games in December.
Wei Chong said he is fully prepared to follow whatever plans the coaching team sets for the biennial event, as long as it strengthens Malaysia’s chances of winning a medal.
Currently paired with Tee Kai Wun, Wei Chong may be separated to form scratch combinations with either Aaron or Wooi Yik as part of Malaysia’s tactical strategy. A pairing with Aaron would revive memories of their time together representing Petaling Badminton Club in the Purple League back in 2018. Although they have trained together since then, Wei Chong noted that training chemistry is very different from playing real matches.
“I am ready if we are paired. There has been no detailed discussion yet, but I did hear about the possibility of forming a scratch pair,” said Wei Chong.
“What I know is that the combination will only be for the SEA Games. I once partnered Aaron in the Purple League, but that was years ago when I was still a junior. Training and competing in a tournament are two very different situations. We have not tested our chemistry yet as the focus is currently on the World Tour Finals.”
This will be Wei Chong’s second SEA Games appearance, and he sees it as an opportunity to redeem himself after a difficult debut in Hanoi 2023. During that tournament, both he and Kai Wun suffered injuries—Wei Chong with a left knee issue and Kai Wun with a left ankle problem—which prevented them from contributing in the men’s team final against Thailand. Malaysia lost 0–3 and settled for silver.
The pair also had to withdraw from the individual event afterward. Because of that, Wei Chong hopes to get through this edition injury-free, especially with the World Tour Finals in Hangzhou starting just days after the SEA Games.
“Since we are sending a full team to this SEA Games, it’s a positive sign and it gives us confidence. Hopefully we can bring home a medal,” he said.
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