NATIONAL badminton legend Datuk Cheah Soon Kit hopes to witness an all-Malaysian men’s doubles final at the World Championships 2025 in Paris next month.
He believes professional duo Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani and 2022 world champions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik have what it takes to meet in the final, as they are holding the top two spots in the world rankings.
“Hopefully both pairs can enter the final, and of course the gold and silver medals will be ours,” he said when met at the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony and official launch of the “Sentuhan Wira” movie here yesterday.
The former national men’s doubles coach was also delighted to see the progress made by Malaysian men’s doubles, with Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin and Aaron-Wooi Yik rising to world No. 1 and No. 2, respectively.
However, he stressed that staying at the top requires continuous hard work, as opponents will closely study their game.
Soon Kit added that the Malaysian pairs must be proactive in analysing their performance and making improvements to stay ahead.
However, Soon Kit was cautiously optimistic when asked about the prospect of Malaysia having two men’s pairs at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
He said that maintaining fitness, commitment and discipline, including proper rest, training and injury prevention, will be crucial to sustaining high-level performance, especially as age becomes a factor.
The last time Malaysia had two men’s doubles pairs at the Olympic Games was in Beijing 2008, with Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong and Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah being the flag-bearers.
“Sentuhan Wira”, an upcoming movie that will chronicle Malaysia’s historic 1992 Thomas Cup triumph, is the brainchild of Soon Kit and another national badminton legend, Datuk Rashid Sidek.
As advisors to the production, both of them were directly involved in the development of the script and technical research on the matches, ensuring that the spirit and historical accuracy of Malaysia’s 1992 Thomas Cup victory are portrayed authentically and emotionally.
Directed by Lenny Ooi, the film is expected to begin shooting this November and will be released in cinemas next year.
