KUALA LUMPUR: With Paris Olympic qualification all but assured, doubles ace Soh Wooi Yik has firmly set his sights on capturing the gold with partner Aaron Chia at the biggest show on Earth next year.
Wooi Yik declared today that his sole focus for the coming year is the Olympics, and viewing the other tournaments merely as part of their journey towards success in Paris.
Wooi Yik and Aaron made their Olympic debut in Tokyo two years ago, bagging a bronze medal.
Hence, their ambitious goal of attaining gold comes as no surprise.
Notably, Wooi Yik and Aaron were the ones who ended the country's quest for an elusive title at the World Championships in August last year.
"For 2024, winning the Olympics is my only target.
"Regardless of what transpires, that will be my sole focus," affirmed Wooi Yik.
"While there are undoubtedly numerous tournaments scheduled for next year, I perceive them as part of the process.
"I'm concentrating on one goal, rather than many, as I wish to avoid unnecessary pressure.
"Hopefully, we will navigate the process smoothly, and when the time comes, our performance will peak at the Olympics."
As the one-year Paris Olympics qualification race reached its midway point, Wooi Yik-Aaron are securely positioned as the second-best pair in the Race to Paris standings.
It seems unlikely that they will drop out of the top 16 or be overtaken by any of their compatriots in the remaining five months before the cut-off at the end of next April.
Wooi Yik has identified world No. 1 pair, Liang Wei Keng-Wang Chang, and the No. 2 pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty, as the ones to watch at the Paris Games.
The Chinese and Indian pairs have collectively secured nine titles this year.
"From now until next year, I see Liang-Wang and Satwik-Chirag as the biggest competitors," said Wooi Yik.
"They have consistently reached the semi-finals or the final this year. These two pairs will undoubtedly be the top contenders for the Olympics."
Wooi Yik-Aaron certainly need to pay extra attention to Wei Keng-Wang Chang and Satwiksairaj-Chirag, given their recent struggles against them.
Against the Chinese, they have managed only one win out of six matches since their first encounter 18 months ago.
Concerning Satwiksairaj-Chirag, Wooi Yik-Aaron are no longer guaranteed victory, having lost both of their encounters this year, although prior to that, they had won all six of their previous matches.
Wooi Yik and Aaron are gearing up for the season-ending World Tour Finals in Hangzhou starting next Wednesday.
