KUALA LUMPUR: Men's doubles Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik's respectable outing at the All England will definitely boost their confidence and self-belief when they start their gold medal hunt at the Paris Olympics on July 26-Aug 11.
On Sunday, the World No. 5 fell short of winning the All England title for the first time following a 21-16, 21-16 defeat to Indonesia's Fajar Alfian-Muhammad Rian Ardianto in Birmingham.
Aaron-Wooi Yik were also a finallist in 2019.
However, it was still their best result this season following a semi-final appearance at the India Open and quarter-final outings at the France Open and Malaysia Open.
Aaron described their outing at the All England as a positive sign of progress ahead of the Olympics.
He cited that Fajar-Rian's effective game plan made the difference on Sunday.
"Congratulations to Fajar-Rian for the victory. It was not the result we wanted. We had our chances during the final, but they played very well," the 27-year-old told Badminton World Federation.
"The Indonesian pair controlled the game, and their tactics and shots gave us problems. They made it very tough for us in the final.
"Nonetheless, we are satisfied with our performance and believe we are regaining our momentum."
Meanwhile, Wooi Yik conceded that the Indonesians displayed greater consistency in the final.
"We tried to change our tactics, but Fajar-Rian were more consistent, especially in their defensive play.
"However, we tried our best. We will learn from this experience."
"The support from the fans throughout the week was fantastic, and we are grateful for it. While we wanted to reward them with the title, it wasn't meant to be.
"However, it is part of the journey. Moving forward, we will maintain our focus and compete with greater self-belief in the next tournament.
With Aaron-Wooi Yik's defeat, the country's 17-year title drought in the event at the All England continues, with Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong being the last Malaysian pair to claim the title in 2007.