KUALA LUMPUR: Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik are ready to put in the extra work to be in peak condition for the Paris Olympics in July.
After three poor outings, namely at the Malaysia Masters, Singapore Open, and Indonesia Open, the world No. 5 have vowed to get their act together in the next few weeks.
"In the last three tournaments, we did not achieve the expected results, and our performance was below par. Our condition is also not great," said Aaron.
"But that's it, no more tournaments until the Olympics. This is the time for us to get our act together and prepare for the final push."
After their impressive run in the Thomas Cup last month, Aaron-Wooi Yik crashed out in the quarter-finals of the Malaysia Masters and Singapore Open before being sent packing in the second round of the Super 1000 Indonesia Open.
While admitting that top players are beginning to feel the heat leading up to the Olympics, Aaron noted that it is up to him and Wooi Yik to shut out the noise and external distractions.
"We know that people expect a lot from us, but now is not the time for us to pay attention to external distractions. These last few weeks are extremely crucial for us to fine-tune our partnership, tactics, and confidence level before we head to Paris. We need to stay focused on the main goal," added Aaron.
Separately, BA of Malaysia (BAM) coaching director Rexy Mainaky pointed out that apart from Aaron-Wooi Yik, two other pairs under the Road to Gold (RTG) programme, women's doubles pair Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah and mixed doubles duo Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei, also have their work cut out for them in the coming weeks.
"Pearly-Thinaah were poor at the Malaysia Masters and Singapore Open, but they managed to find some of their best form in Jakarta. We need to maintain this style and momentum. As for Tang Jie-Ee Wei, they need to work on their on-court dynamics. Solve the issues and help each other."
Pearly-Thinaah crashed out in the quarter-finals after going down fighting 22-20, 21-18 to China's world No. 1 Chen Qing Chen-Jia Yi Fan on Friday, while Tang Jie-Ee Wei were eliminated in the first round by South Korea's world champions Seo Seung Jae-Chae Yu Jung.