Pearly-Thinaah bring back the roar for women’s badminton

THE Chinese shuttlers are usually as cool and sleek as the silk the country produces, and it’s extremely rare to see the world-class Chinese women players sweat under pressure.

Yesterday, though, they did. They did not only sweat, they were rattled. And it was all thanks to Malaysia’s doubles pair Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah.

The Malaysians gave the world No. 1 and four-time world champions Chen Qingchen-Jia Yifan a huge jolt before going down fighting in the semi-finals of the Olympic Games in Paris yesterday.

After an opening game massacre at 21-12, Qingchen-Yifan were smiling – but not for long. The smiles soon turned into frowns and even a troubled look.

Pearly-Thinaah were the first pair to take a game off the Tokyo Olympic Games silver medallists at the Adidas Arena at Port de la Chapelle.

What an awesome ride it has been for Pearly-Thinaah! They are the first Malaysian women pair to reach the semis at the Olympic Games and could yet come home with a bronze medal.

I believe they have enough firepower and confidence to beat world No. 4 Nami Matsuyama-Chiharu Shida in the bronze-medal playoff today although they have a poor record against them.

Even if they don’t win, they have already won our hearts with their flamboyance and courageous show.

They have proven that women’s doubles events are not a bore. They have shown they can execute powerful smashes and even trick their opponents too with their flair and craft.

How did they come to this stage?

It was coach Chan Chong Ming and former coaching director Wong Choong Hann, who decided to pair up Pearly-Thinaah together in 2021.

The results were immediate. The pair went on to win their first Open title - the 2021 Swiss Open.

Chong Ming left at the end of 2021, and national coaching director Rexy Mainaky and coach Hoon Thien How came into the scene.

They continued the work and the girls went on to win the 2022 Commonwealth Games gold and the 2022 French Open title and who can forget the 211-stroke rally in their second round match against Japan’s Rena Miyaura-Ayaka Sakuramoto in the 2023 Malaysian Masters.

The last one year though had been a rollercoaster ride for the duo.

Pearly was constantly injured. The girls had a rare misunderstanding too, which is normal in doubles. And the results were scarce.

Neither Rexy nor Thien How gave up hope. In fact, the players themselves stood tall amidst their adversities.

They knew they needed to be physically stronger and they fought back to qualify for their first Olympics in Paris.

Rexy’s ingenious plan to bring three Indonesian men doubles sparring partners for Pearly-Thinaah this year has borne fruit. And Rexy is now singing the praises of the girls.

The girls indeed look tougher and meaner. They attack their opponents mercilessly.

The National Sports Institute (NSI) experts have done well to improve Pearly’s physical condition while Thinaah has improved much with her attacking shots.

One must also not forget psychologist Fred Tan for injecting self-belief in these players. Both Pearly-Thinaah looked fearless on court.

More than all these, it is the trust that Pearly and Thinaah have in each other that has taken them this far.

They did not let the difference in their colour, culture and creed stop them from achieving success, and that to me, it’s priceless and worth more than the Olympic Games gold.

Honestly, I was among those who would take a break when the women’s doubles event gets into action, expecting a boring display. Not any more, and certainly not when Pearly and Thinaah are playing.

Thank you Pearly and Thinaah for changing that mindset. You have sparked a dream in every girl child.

* The writer also commends the other shuttlers - Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei and Goh Jin Wei for giving a good fighting performance.