Chia-Soh bag gold at Asian Championship

National men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik has finally won their first Badminton Asian Championship (BAC) title after beating Chen Bo Yang-Liu Yi of China in Ningbo, China today.

The six-seeds were unfazed by the strong home crowd as they beat the unseeded Chinese pair 21-19, 21-17 at the Ningbo Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium, earning them the distinction of being the first Malaysian pair to win the BAC since the Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah duo in 2007.

The straight-game win belied the tough fight the Malaysian pair faced, as the Chinese overcame a 0-3 lead in the first game to draw at 15-15 before the Malaysians closed them down by winning 21-19.

The Malaysians did not have a good start in the second game, trailing 9-11 before they surged to retake command at 19-15, and clinched the title with a powerful smash by Chia, ending the game 21-17.

Chia-Soh’s BAC win is a far cry from their last BAC final in Muntinlupa, the Philippines, where they lost to Indonesia’s Pramudya Kusuma-Yeremia Rambitan, 21-23, 10-21 in 2022.

It’s also a culmination of their flawless run, as they won without dropping a single game throughout the tournament.

Their wins include a stunning 21-12, 21-14 semi-final victory over second seeds and home favourites Liang Wei Keng-Wang Chang on Saturday.

Chia-Soh took home US$37,000 (RM164,000) as champions while Chen-Liu received US$17,500 as runners-up.

- Bernama

'Camaraderie': Thinaah gives injured Tan a lift after All-England victory

'Well done, boys' - Zahid lauds doubles pair for clinching India open title

Malaysia Open matches delayed due to leaking roof

Don't take shortcuts in pursuit of wealth, Yeoh tells athletes

Flag blunder on Zii Jia's jersey a serious oversight - minister