Four match points stood between Soh Wooi Yik and an empty-handed exit from the Paris Olympics. Alongside Aaron Chia, he saved them all against Denmark’s Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen, then won the deciding game to secure bronze.
That comeback in 2024 brought the Malaysians their second consecutive Olympic medal. Two years earlier, they had delivered something their country had never won: a badminton world title. Neither achievement came through an uninterrupted run of victories. Their partnership developed through lost finals, difficult matchups and repeated tests of their ability to recover.
A childhood shaped by Malaysian badminton
Born in Kuala Lumpur on February 17, 1998, Soh grew up in a family where international badminton was familiar territory. His father, Soh Goon Chup, represented Malaysia, while his maternal uncle, Soo Beng Kiang, was an Olympian and a member of Malaysia’s 1992 Thomas Cup-winning squad.
He began playing at four. Organised training and junior competition followed, and he entered Bukit Jalil Sports School at 13, joining a pathway that has developed generations of Malaysian internationals.
Soh initially played singles before settling into doubles. The change suited his quick hands and awareness of the space around the net, although those qualities alone did not make him a finished player. Learning when to intercept, when to rotate and when to leave the shuttle to a partner would become central to his career.
By 2015 and 2016, he was representing Malaysia at the World Junior Championships. In 2016, he helped the country finish runner-up in the mixed-team competition and also earned boys’ doubles bronze at the Asian Junior Championships.
Those results gave him experience of international pressure. His senior career took a more definite shape when he teamed up with Aaron Chia in 2017.
A partnership takes shape
Chia and Soh did not arrive as immediate title favourites. They had to develop the coordination that makes a doubles partnership more than two capable individuals sharing a court.
Their first major statement came at the 2019 All England. They reached the men’s doubles final, putting themselves into contention at one of the sport’s most demanding tournaments. Indonesia’s Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan beat them, but the run showed that the Malaysians could challenge established pairs.
Later that year, they won men’s doubles gold at the SEA Games in the Philippines. An All England final and a regional title represented different kinds of progress: one demonstrated their international ceiling, while the other required them to finish the job.
National-team competition also became an important part of Soh’s development. Malaysia took silver at the 2020 Badminton Asia Team Championships and bronze at the 2021 Sudirman Cup. Such events brought a different pressure, with each doubles match carrying consequences for teammates watching from the bench.
Tokyo bronze, then a historic world title
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics, postponed until 2021, supplied their first Olympic breakthrough.
Chia and Soh defeated Indonesia’s Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo in the quarter-finals before losing to China’s Li Jun Hui and Liu Yu Chen. They recovered in the bronze-medal match, beating Ahsan and Setiawan 21-11, 21-16.
It was a significant reversal against the pair who had beaten them in the All England final. More importantly, they had responded to a semi-final defeat with a controlled performance when there was still a medal to win.
The following season brought a bigger first.
At the 2022 World Championships in Tokyo, the Malaysians worked their way into the final, where Ahsan and Setiawan again stood across the net. This time, Chia and Soh won 21-19, 21-14.
Malaysia had produced Olympic medallists, world number ones and Thomas Cup winners, but never a world champion. Their victory ended that wait.
The achievement also came before their first BWF World Tour title-a reminder that their record did not follow a tidy progression from smaller tournament victories to major championships.
Soh’s season included further success with the national squad: men’s team gold at the Badminton Asia Team Championships, followed by mixed-team gold and men’s doubles bronze at the Commonwealth Games.
Turning major medals into tour titles
On January 24, 2023, Chia and Soh reached world No. 2, their career-high men’s doubles ranking.
They returned to the World Championships podium that season with bronze. At the Denmark Open in October, they finally claimed their first BWF World Tour title, beating Indonesia’s Muhammad Shohibul Fikri and Bagas Maulana in the final.
That victory removed an unusual distinction from their record: they were no longer world champions still waiting for a tour title.
Paris brought another test of their resilience in 2024. After a semi-final defeat by China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, they faced Astrup and Rasmussen for bronze.
The Danes won the opening game and led 20-16 in the second. Chia and Soh saved four match points, took the game 22-20 and completed the comeback by winning the decider 21-19.
They became the first Malaysian men’s doubles partnership to win medals at consecutive Olympics.
A Korea Masters title followed later in 2024. In 2025, they added the Badminton Asia Championships, Thailand Open and Singapore Open titles, broadening a collection once defined mainly by medals at the biggest events.
Quick hands and a demanding rivalry
At 1.85 metres, Soh has reach, but his effectiveness is not simply a matter of covering more court. His reactions allow him to survive fast exchanges, block steep attacks and intercept loose replies before opponents can recover their positions.
Around the net, small movements matter. A compact interception can keep the shuttle low and preserve the attack; a well-judged block can turn a defensive rally into an opening for Chia.
Their roles are not fixed. Both must defend, rotate and attack, though Soh’s touch in the forecourt is particularly important when they are playing well. Their strongest performances combine that quickness with patient defence rather than depending on outright hitting power.
Liang and Wang have posed a recurring problem. The Chinese pair’s speed and aggressive interceptions can deny the Malaysians time to organise their own attack. Their Paris semi-final meeting was one of the most consequential chapters in that rivalry.
It is a useful counterpoint to the medal record: winning a world championship does not make every matchup comfortable.
Family connections and life beyond the court
Badminton links Soh to his family in an unusually direct way. His father knew the demands of representing Malaysia, and his uncle belonged to one of the country’s most celebrated team campaigns. Soh eventually contributed a different milestone to that family history with the 2022 world title.
He speaks English, Malay, Mandarin and Cantonese, reflecting the multilingual environment in which he grew up and the different audiences he encounters as a Malaysian international.
His relationship with Chia is the most visible partnership in his public life. Since joining forces in 2017, they have shared training routines, selection pressure and the scrutiny that follows a leading national pair. Their contrasting moments-lost finals, a world title, desperate Olympic recoveries-have given that partnership its character.
Details of Soh’s romantic life warrant more restraint. Hype Malaysia reported on a relationship announcement posted to Instagram in December 2025 and identified his girlfriend as reportedly named Lokyee. That reported identification should not be treated as independently confirmed or used to build a wider account of her private life.
The clearest picture of Soh remains the one available on court: alert at the net, difficult to finish off in defence and capable, with Chia, of finding a way back when a match appears almost gone.
FAQ
Who is Soh Wooi Yik’s doubles partner?
Aaron Chia. They formed their partnership in 2017 and won the 2022 world title together.
What is his biggest achievement?
Winning the 2022 BWF World Championships. He and Chia became Malaysia’s first badminton world champions.
How many Olympic medals has he won?
Two bronze medals: at Tokyo 2020, held in 2021, and Paris 2024, both in men’s doubles with Chia.
What is his highest world ranking?
World No. 2 in men’s doubles, first reached with Chia on January 24, 2023.
Does he come from a badminton family?
Yes. His father, Soh Goon Chup, represented Malaysia, and his maternal uncle, Soo Beng Kiang, was an Olympian and Thomas Cup winner.
Where was he born?
He was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on February 17, 1998.
Photo: Hiroki.loh.st, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
