"You Achieved What I Couldn't" — Lee Chong Wei Celebrates Aaron Chia & Soh Wooi Yik
"Thank you for giving Malaysia such a wonderful National Day gift."
By Wayne Garreth — 01 Sep 2022, 03:08 PM
On Sunday, 28 August, history was made when Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik became the first Malaysians to claim the BWF World Championship title
Chia, 25, and Soh, 24, made history in Malaysia by becoming the nation's first world champions after the pair won the men's doubles world title.
Beating three-time world champions Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan from Indonesia, this win marks the duo's first-ever major title together.
After the nail-biting game, a slew of Malaysians from around the country took to congratulating Soh and Chia on their success, including the Agong.
But one message celebrating the pair's win was a tearful sight for many Malaysians, joyfully of course.
Former world number one and global badminton legend, Datuk Lee Chong Wei, took to his Facebook page to praise the duo for their win
In his lengthy caption, the post read (in translation), "Since 1977, Malaysia has come close a few times in claiming the gold medal, but it was never achieved. It's odd that 11 other countries have already won the title, but not Malaysia. Is it believable that Sweden, USA, and Singapore have already won this title, but not Malaysia?"
"But today, history has been made as [Chia] and [Soh] displayed their skills to become the pride of Malaysia. Thank you. A very nice present for Malaysia/National Day!"
Continuing on, Lee wrote a heartfelt message directed at both Chia and Soh, "Congratulations, you guys did it. What I could not achieve, you did. Mentally, and physically, you did all around great today. Thank you for giving Malaysia such a wonderful gift. Keep grinding!"
Continuing, Lee added a side note of sharing this victory with his two sons, Kingston and Terrance. "While watching the presentation of the awards, and the song of my country, I FaceTimed my two kids to share in this historical moment."
Cheekily, his elder son asked him if tomorrow (29 August) would be a public holiday because of their win.
Ending his post, Lee repeated his applause and praise of the duo. "Congratulations Malaysia! Congratulations Soh Wooi Yik! Congratulations Aaron!"
With not a dry eye left in the comments section, Malaysians from all around the world gathered together to celebrate Chia and Soh's victory
Racking up almost 100,000 likes and over 6,000 shares thus far, it was a touching moment for many to see one Malaysian legend pass the baton to the next generation of successors.
Many even chimed in saluting Lee for his impeccable contributions to the nation in the world of sports.
But perhaps the most meaningful response came from one of the winners, Soh himself, who kept his comment short and sweet.
