SHUTTLER WOOI YIK BACK IN TRAINING AFTER TOE FRACTURE

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 24 (Bernama) -- National men’s doubles shuttler Soh Wooi Yik resumed full training on Thursday (Sept 19) after recovering from a toe fracture on his right foot.

Akademi Badminton Malaysia (ABM) coaching director Rexy Mainaky said their focus is to ensure Wooi Yik can regain his playing rhythm, having not competed in any championships after the 2024 Paris Olympics.

“What we need to do for Wooi Yik is to let him regain that tournament feeling because it’s been over a month since he last played competitively.

“We must restore his motivation and mental strength so that he has the desire to get back to playing again,” he said when met at ABM here today.

Rexy also said there is still a chance for Wooi Yik, the 2024 Paris Olympic bronze medallist, to qualify for the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Finals at the end of the year in Hangzhou, China.

According to him, Wooi Yik and his doubles partner Aaron Chia are expected to compete in several championships starting next month to improve their chances of qualifying for the BWF World Tour Finals. 

“If they win the Arctic Open next month and can go far in several other meets after that, it’s still possible for them to qualify,” he said. 

According to the BWF World Tour Finals format, only the top eight pairs in the standings will qualify. 

Based on the BWF World Tour ranking yesterday, Aaron-Wooi Yik are in 15th position.

As of now, Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, the China Open winners, and Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun are best placed to qualify as they are ranked fifth and seventh.

-- BERNAMA