A rejuvenated Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik pair delivered a stunning performance to clinch the Asian Championships title, and their coach Herry Iman Pierngadi is quick to credit the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) for placing their faith in him.
The world No. 6 duo bounced back from a lacklustre All-England outing—where they were eliminated in the first round—to defeat China’s Chen Boyang-Liu Yi 21-19, 21-17 in Sunday’s final in Ningbo, ending Malaysia’s 18-year wait for the men’s doubles crown.
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The last pair to claim the title was Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah in 2007.
The win also marked a sweet first success for Indonesian legend Herry since stepping in as BAM’s men’s doubles head coach in February, replacing Tan Bin Shen.
“First of all, I want to thank BAM for trusting me to guide the Malaysian men’s doubles pairs,” Herry told The Star.
Aaron’s performance had been hampered by a shoulder injury during the All-England, but the pair underwent rehab and received a crucial boost from Herry’s motivational support.
“We failed in the All-England as Aaron was hampered by a shoulder injury. After that, he went through rehab, and I also gave him and Wooi Yik some motivation. I told them to forget about the past and let’s try again, focus and prepare for the Asian meet.
Reflecting on the final, Herry noted that the Malaysian pair executed their strategy effectively.
“In the first game, Aaron-Wooi Yik implemented the strategy that we came up with well. Although it was neck-and-neck, the game went as planned,” he said.
“The second game was just as important, and the Chinese pair changed their style of play.
“Aaron and Wooi Yik were following their opponents’ game. Our pair trailed 8-11 and I told them to play the way they did during training (and it worked),” he stated.
