By Usha Muthusamy
KUALA LUMPUR, 01 September 2025: In a historic moment for Malaysian badminton, the dynamic women’s doubles duo of Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah secured a silver medal at the 2025 BWF World Championships in Paris on August 31. This achievement, a first for any Malaysian women’s doubles pair, has been lauded as a significant breakthrough, marking a new era of competitiveness on the world stage.
Their journey to the final was a testament to their unwavering determination and growing maturity as a pair. Facing a formidable challenge in the final against China’s top-ranked pair, Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning, Pearly and Thinaah fought for a thrilling 83 minutes. Despite falling short with a final score of 14-21, 22-20, 17-21, they demonstrated incredible grit and a never-say-die attitude that won the hearts of their fans back home. The Malay Mail reported that their courage, grit, and “flashes of sheer, raw power” cemented their place as “queens of the hearts of Malaysian fans.”
The silver medal represents a significant step forward for the pair, who had previously achieved a best-ever quarter-final finish at the 2023 World Championships and reached the semi-finals of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Their performance in Paris, particularly their ability to push the world No. 1 pair to a decisive third game, has boosted their confidence for future tournaments. Thinaah, in a post-match interview, expressed a mix of happiness and disappointment but acknowledged the positive lessons learned, stating, “We didn’t want to give them easy points… and as long as the shuttle doesn’t hit the ground, we will always fight for every point.”
This historic silver medal, along with the mixed doubles gold won by Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei on the same day, paints a bright picture for Malaysian badminton. It not only celebrates the athletes’ individual achievements but also signals the country’s rising prominence in the global badminton landscape, inspiring a new generation of players to chase similar dreams of glory.
