KUALA LUMPUR: Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik must focus on securing the men's doubles bronze medal after their heartbreaking semi-final defeat at the Paris Olympics on Friday.
World No. 3 Aaron-Wooi Yik, who lost 21-19, 15-21, 21-17 to China's Liang Wei Keng-Wang Chang in the semi-finals, will face Denmark's Anders Skaarup Rasmussen-Kim Astrup in the bronze medal match at Porte de La Chapelle Arena on Sunday.
BA of Malaysia coaching director Rexy Mainaky said Aaron-Wooi Yik must do their best to retain the bronze they won at Tokyo 2020.
"Aaron-Wooi Yik fought hard against the Chinese pair. It is heartbreaking but not the end of the world.
"Our pair can still return home with a bronze. I hope they will shift their focus for Sunday's match," Rexy said.
Rexy added: "We will continue to motivate them to win the Olympic bronze."
Aaron-Wooi Yik have played the Danish pair 11 times, with the Malaysians winning seven of those encounters.
However, in their most recent match, world No. 2 Rasmussen-Astrup defeated Aaron-Wooi Yik in the quarter-finals of the Singapore Open in May.
At the delayed Tokyo Olympics, held in 2021, Aaron-Wooi Yik defeated Indonesia's Mohamad Ahsan-Hendra Setiawan to win the bronze.