KUALA LUMPUR: IT'S fair to say that Malaysia's hopes for its elusive Olympic gold medal largely hinge on how the shuttlers perform at the Paris Games.
Badminton, since its inclusion at the 1992 Barcelona Games, has yielded Malaysia's first Olympic medal and single-handedly carried the nation's hopes for two decades.
More recently, diving and track cycling have emerged as additional sources of medal prospects.
To date, badminton has contributed nine medals (six silver and three bronze) to Malaysia's total haul of 13 Olympic medals. Track cycling and diving have added two each.
Will this trend continue?
It seems likely, as Malaysian diving has faded from prominence, leaving track cycling as the only other sport capable of a podium finish.
Based on the number of qualifiers alone, with badminton athletes making up nearly a third of the 26-strong contingent (eight members), it's clear that the onus is on the shuttlers to deliver.
With the exception of Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004, badminton has secured at least one medal in each of the other six Olympic editions since the Sidek brothers, Razif and Jalani, clinched the country's maiden bronze in men's doubles in 1992.
All eyes will be on Lee Zii Jia and the men's pair of Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, who are returning for their second consecutive Olympics.
This trio is widely regarded as the country's best hope to at least maintain Malaysia's podium finish streak in badminton.
World No. 5 pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, while not in their best form recently, have consistently been among the most reliable performers, regularly reaching semi-finals or beyond in major tournaments year after year.
As debutants in Tokyo three years ago, Aaron-Wooi Yik made their first Olympic appearance count by claiming a creditable bronze medal.
Their impressive run included defeating the Games' top two seeds, Indonesia's Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo-Marcus Fernaldi Gideon in the quarter-finals, and Mohammad Ahsan-Hendra Setiawan in the bronze medal playoff.
Despite narrowly missing out on Olympic gold, Aaron-Wooi Yik compensated for this by ending Malaysia's long wait for its first badminton world champions in 2022.
They will arrive in Paris with high hopes, aware that a historic legacy awaits them if they secure the Olympic gold. Such an achievement could potentially elevate them to the status of Malaysia's greatest athletes of all time.
Aaron-Wooi Yik will be highly motivated after receiving a favourable draw, with their path to the quarter-finals looking promising in Group A.
Although they will face world No. 1 Liang Wei Keng-Wang Chang, they can take comfort in being grouped with Britain's Ben Lane-Sean Vendy, as well as Canada's Adam Dong-Nyl Yakura, both pairs they are expected to defeat comfortably.
The primary goal for any doubles pair is to advance past the group stage, as a fresh draw will be conducted for the knockout stage.
For Lee Zii Jia, Paris represents a chance for redemption.
His potentially sensational Olympic debut in Tokyo turned sour when he lost to Rio 2016 gold medallist Chen Long in the last-16 clash, despite initially dominating the match.
Since then, Zii Jia has experienced numerous ups and downs, leading him to make a drastic change in pursuit of his Olympic gold dream - turning professional.
Two years after leaving the national team, Zii Jia seems to have rediscovered his form recently, which bodes well for his quest in Paris.
Zii Jia is expected to clear Group G with ease before facing his first real test against Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Anthony Sinisuka Ginting of Indonesia in the last 16.
Although Ginting leads their head-to-head record 5-1, the Indonesian has struggled to meet expectations since his runner-up finish at the All England in March.
A victory would pit Zii Jia against his friend Anders Antonsen, with in-form top seed Shi Yu Qi potentially awaiting in the semi-finals.
Zii Jia recently defeated Antonsen at the Malaysia Masters, improving his chances.
However, Yu Qi poses a significant challenge, having beaten Zii Jia 21-19, 21-5 during the Thomas Cup in May.
Yu Qi enters the Olympics in peak form, with four titles this year and a 16-match unbeaten streak.
If Zii Jia can overcome Yu Qi, he stands a chance against any potential finalist from the bottom half of the draw.
Top contenders include defending champion Viktor Axelsen, China's Li Shi Feng, Indonesia's Jonatan Christie, and Japan's Kodai Naraoka.
In mixed doubles, debutants Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei have received a favourable draw, which they must capitalise on.
The world No. 9 pair appear capable of advancing from Group D, where second seeds Feng Yan Zhe-Huang Dong Ping of China pose their biggest challenge.
They are expected to overcome Singapore's husband-wife duo, Terry Hee and Jessica Tan, for a top-two finish.
With boosted confidence, Tang Jie-Ee Wei could potentially exceed expectations in the knockout stage.
The women's doubles pair of Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah face a daunting challenge in Group A, filled with heavyweights from China (Chen Qing Chen-Jia Yi Fan), Japan (Mayu Matsumoto- Wakana Nagahara), and Indonesia (Apriyani Rahayu-Siti Fadia Silva Ramadanthi). Their best chance lies in winning their first match.
In women's singles, Goh Jin Wei's prospects of advancing far are limited. However, progressing past the group stage would be considered a commendable achievement. Jin Wei's main rival in Group H is world No. 17 Kim Ga Eun, and defeating her is crucial for reaching the knockout rounds.
Wong Mew Choo's quarter-final appearance in Beijing 2008 remains the best performance by a Malaysian women's singles shuttler at the Olympics.