PETALING JAYA: It may sound superstitious, but the white jerseys worn by world championship silver medallists Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah are believed to have brought them good luck.
Before leaving for Paris, the national shuttlers were given three new sets of attire by Japanese sportswear manufacturer Yonex in white, orange and black.
Singles players Leong Jun Hao and K. Letshanaa chose the black kit, but most doubles pairs, including Pearly-Thinaah, opted for white when they started their campaign by defeating Hong Kong’s Lui Lok Lok and Tsang Hiu Yan in the second round.
Women’s doubles head coach Rosman Razak said that his players felt a stroke of luck whenever they wore the all-white attire, which convinced them to wear it all the way to the final.
Even mixed doubles world champions Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei stuck with the same white jerseys throughout their campaign, making history as Malaysia’s first-ever world champions in the event after defeating China’s second seeds Jiang Zhenbang and Wei Yaxin in the final.
“It’s usually like that, not just for the players but for us coaches too. If the feeling is good, they tend to stick with it. That’s what they felt, and that’s why they continued wearing it,” said Rosman.
