Superb: Pearly Tan (right) is hugged by Rosman Razak while M. Thinaah celebrates with coach Rexy Mainaky after winning their semi-final match against Japan’s Chiharu Shida and Nami Matsuyama. — Reuters
PETALING JAYA: While Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah grabbed the spotlight with their historic feat at the World Championships in Paris, much of the credit must also go to the man behind their rise – coach Rosman Razak.
Rosman has shown that local coaches are capable of guiding players to the very top. He shaped Pearly-Thinaah into one of the most formidable pairs in women’s doubles, and stayed behind the girls even when the going was tough in past tournaments.
This time, the game plan crafted by Rosman together with national doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky paid off handsomely.
Pearly-Thinaah not only made history as the first Malaysian women’s pair to medal at the World Championships, but also became the first to reach the final in nearly five decades.
It was a feat no other Malaysian women’s pair had ever achieved.
Former women’s doubles world No. 1 Wong Pei Tty hailed Pearly-Thinaah’s breakthrough as a new chapter in Malaysian badminton.
In the past, Malaysia’s medal hopes at the World Championships had largely rested on the men’s singles and men’s doubles.
But this has now changed, with Pearly-Thinaah’s breakthrough and the rise of mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei showing that other departments also have the potential to deliver at the highest level.
“This shows that Malaysia has successfully nurtured the potential of our players. It’s very important because it will inspire more and more female players and youngsters in Malaysia to take up badminton.
“Seeing our players fight their way into the finals proves that with hard work and belief, anything is possible,” said Pei Tty when contacted.
She also hopes Pearly-Thinaah’s success in Paris will spark greater interest among women to take up the sport, stressing that Malaysia still lacks depth in the women’s category.
“I also hope Malaysia will continue to focus on development and building a strong junior team, because that is the key to producing future world champions,” added Pei Tty.
For the record, Pearly-Thinaah were paired up by Rosman in 2019 after Thinaah sought a new direction following limited success in women’s singles.
Rosman then left the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) in 2020, but returned in November last year to take charge of the national women’s doubles squad.
