If Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik were to emulate their national compatriots' doubles achievement at the Rio Olympics, it would take a mammoth feat on their part to return from the Tokyo Olympics with a medal.
In 2016, Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong were one point away from winning the country's first ever Olympic gold against Fu Haifeng-Zhang Nan but faltered when it mattered to end up with silver.
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Nonetheless, it was still a commendable performance from the Malaysians who had upset stronger pairs to get there.
Chia-Soh, ranked ninth in the world, have yet to win a title on the BWF World Tour, finishing as runners-up seven times.
Nonetheless, the pair are confident they could be the ones to break Malaysia's hoodoo in Tokyo next month.
"We want to be the first ones ever to get the gold medal. We have to try and achieve a medal, and the next target is to win gold. The most important thing is to take it step by step," Chia told Olympics Channel recently.
Even getting on the podium would be an admirable feat, judging by the sheer quality and immense competition that would be on display in Tokyo.
Indonesians Marcus Gideon Fernaldi-Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo, Chinese Taipei's Lee Yang-Wang Chi-lin and strong Japanese pairs are among the formidable opponents who would stand in the Malaysians way at the upcoming Olympics.
But Chia-Soh, who have one semi-final and final appearance this year, are hoping they would come good when it matters most.
For Soh, there is a strong desire to create history in his family of national shuttlers.
His father, Soh Goon Huap, and uncle, Soo Beng Kiang, were both national men’s doubles shuttlers, with the latter part of the 1992 Thomas Cup winning team.
Soo was an Olympic semi-finalist at the 1996 edition in Atlanta, a record the younger Soh intends to eclipse for family bragging rights.
“When I was small, I was thinking I want to be better than them. I was keen to become champion for my family.”
Besides Goh-Tan, Razif-Jalani Sidek and Cheah Soon Kit-Yap Kim Hock were Malaysia’s other men's doubles medalist with a bronze and silver at the 1992 and 1996 edition.
