Tokyo Olympics bronze medallists Aaron-Wooi Yik back with a smile

Aaron-Wooi Yik were among the 23-member Malaysian contingent comprising 11 athletes from archery, athletics, shooting and badminton who arrived at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) here at 5.20 pm via flight MH0071.

All the athletes, among them archer Khairul Anuar Muhammad, sprinter Azreen Nabila Alias as well as men and women's singles shuttlers Lee Zii Jia and Soniia Cheah Su Ya, had completed their events in Tokyo.

Aaron-Wooi Yik, who are the world number nine, managed to stop for a while to pose with their bronze medals before saying: "Thank you Malaysia."

The duo then joined the others from the contingent to board a bus to be taken to a location to undergo the 14-day compulsory quarantine in line with the standard operating procedure (SOP) set by the National Security Council (MKN) due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal, Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) deputy president Datuk Seri Abdul Azim Mohd Zabidi, National Sports Institute (NSI) chief executive officer Ahmad Faedzal Md Ramli and Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) secretary-general Datuk Kenny Goh were among those present to welcome the national contingent.

The bronze won stylishly by Aaron-Wooi Yik is the Malaysian contingent's first medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Aaron, 24, and Wooi Yik, 23, bounced back from a first-game defeat to capture the bronze by outlasting Indonesian second seeds Mohammad Ahsan-Hendra Setiawan 17-21, 21-17, 21-14 in a gripping 52-minute clash Saturday (July 31).

Their success ensured that the badminton camp did not return home empty-handed after being touted as the country's best medal hopes together with the track cyclists and divers.

Several other athletes, among them Leong Mun Yee (women's diving), Farah Ann Abdul Hadi (women's artistic gymnastics) and mixed doubles shuttler Goh Liu Ying, had returned home on July 26 after completing their events.