Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah have added another major medal to their growing collection, but the Malaysian pair are already looking beyond their Asian Games bronze as they set their sights on Olympic glory.
The world No. 5 women’s doubles pair secured bronze at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games after reaching the semi-finals, ending Malaysia’s 12-year wait for a medal in the event. They eventually lost 16-21, 22-20, 21-12 to China’s world No. 1 Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning in the last four.
Although missing out on the final was disappointing, the medal added another significant achievement to Pearly and Thinaah’s careers.
The pair have already made history at several major events. At the Paris 2024 Olympics, they became the first Malaysian women’s doubles combination to reach the semi-finals. They later became the first Malaysian women’s doubles pair to finish runners-up at the World Championships, before winning SEA Games gold in Thailand in 2025. Their list of major honours also includes Commonwealth Games gold from 2022.
For Pearly, however, there is still one major prize missing.
“We still don’t have a gold yet,” she said after returning to Malaysia.
That Olympic ambition is now firmly on the pair’s radar, with the Los Angeles 2028 Games less than two years away. But Pearly stressed that they cannot afford to look too far ahead.
Source: NST
The immediate priority is staying healthy and maintaining their form, particularly after she had to manage several injury problems during the 2026 season.
“There are still many tournaments where we have to give our best, especially to qualify for the Olympics,” Pearly said.
The message was echoed by Thinaah, who believes the pair still have plenty of targets to chase despite their growing list of achievements.
“We are very happy to win this medal, but there are still many tournaments and matches ahead and we also have our own targets,” she said.
Their Asian Games bronze was particularly significant for Malaysian women’s doubles. It was the country’s first medal in the event since Vivian Hoo and Woon Khe Wei won bronze at the 2014 Incheon Games. Malaysia had never reached the women’s doubles final at the Asian Games since badminton was introduced to the competition in 1962.
Now, the pair will turn their attention back to the World Tour. Their next stop is the Denmark Open from October 13 to 18, followed by the French Open from October 20 to 25.
For Pearly and Thinaah, the Asian Games bronze is another milestone, but not the destination. With two years to build towards Los Angeles, their next challenge is to stay fit, keep improving and earn another opportunity to chase the gold that has so far eluded them.
