Paris Olympics: Aaron dedicates bronze medal to his wife

Aaron Chia dedicated his Paris Olympics bronze medal to his wife who celebrated her birthday watching her husband and on-court partner Soh Wooi Yik win an incredible match against their Danish opponents on Sunday.

“Happy birthday to my love. Hope that this could be the most special birthday gift for you,” posted Chia of a picture of him and his wife posing with the bronze medal.

Chia's win will surely be one of the most memorable moments in the couple’s lives, and one which they will share with both their young daughters.

Chia-Soh, on Sunday, came from the brink of defeat to stun Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen 16-21, 22-20, 21-19 in a pulsating battle for bronze.

The win ensured Chia-Soh’s second Olympic bronze medal, having claimed their maiden bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics when they defeated Indonesia’s Mohamad Ahsan-Hendra Setiawan.

On both occasions they had to do it the hard way, coming from a game down to secure the win.

Against Astrup-Rasmussen, they were 16-20 down in the second game having lost the first and looked to return home empty-handed.

But the unlikely was achieved, something which national coaching director Rexy Mainaky described as a miracle.

“We believed in a miracle. Both players had the self-confidence and calmness to claw back the deficit without rushing the rallies,” said Rexy.

Meanwhile Soh was proud he and Chia made Malaysia proud.

“To not achieve the gold that the country wanted will of course leave a tinge of disappointment. But I realized that the Olympics is like what we face in life. It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it. “I am so happy we did not give up until the end!,” he said.

The national contingent are scheduled to return home on Wednesday.