Facts about Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan
It’s no secret that badminton is the sport we Malaysians get extra excited about whenever major tournaments and sporting events come around – especially so when it’s the Olympic Games.
At this year’s Paris 2024 Olympics, the local badminton duo of Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan are quite literally smashing it on the court.
We rounded up 11 fun facts that you should know about these star shuttlers, who have been partners since 2019.
Table of Contents
- Facts about Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan
- 1. Pearly is from Kedah & Thinaah is from Klang
- 2. They began playing badminton at a young age
- 3. Pearly & Thinaah have been paired since 2019
- 4. Their 211-shot marathon rally went viral
- 5. They are currently ranked 12th in the world
- 6. They made their Olympics debut at the Paris 2024 Olympics
- 7. They’ve known each other since their teenage years
- 8. Pearly holds the record for the fastest badminton smash
- 9. Thinaah speaks four languages, including Mandarin
- 10. They come from families of badminton players
- 11. The pair clinched their first BWF World Tour Title in 2021
1. Pearly is from Kedah & Thinaah is from Klang
Image credit: @__pearlytan via Instagram
Born on 14th March 2000 in Alor Setar, Kedah, Pearly Tan Koong Le was first introduced to badminton by her parents. With a right-handed flair and a natural talent for the sport, she was given a spot in the Malaysian national team in 2013.
Thinaah Muralitharan, born 3rd January 1998 in Klang, Selangor, similarly joined the national team in 2013. Her parents are S. Muralitharan and Parimala Devi Kalalingam, who are professionals in engineering and medicine respectively, and she is the middle child of three siblings.
2. They began playing badminton at a young age
Image credit: @pearlythinaah via Twitter, @badmintonblahblah via Instagram
The duo’s start in badminton began at a young age.
At the tender age of 3, Pearly began playing badminton and won her first trophy at just 5 years old, as her father was also a badminton player and coach. She looks up to Lee Chong Wei and lives by the motto – “Everything happens for a reason” – which also happens to be part of her Instagram bio.
Thinaah had her start in badminton at 6 years old in her hometown of Klang, turning professional at just 7 years old. Her interest in the sport sparked from following her older brother to his badminton training lessons and watching him play. Her sporting ambition is to score a medal at the Olympics.
3. Pearly & Thinaah have been paired since 2019
Image credit: @thinaah_m via Instagram
Pearly and Thinaah have been smashing shuttlecocks on the court together since 2019. Dubbed ‘PearThin’ among Malaysians, the duo historically clinched the Yonex French Open title in 2022, becoming the first women’s doubles team from Malaysia to win the title.
Pearly was previously paired with Toh Ee Wei, with whom she won two silver medals at the Asian and World Junior Championships in 2018. Thinaah, on the other hand, started off as a singles player before competing in the mixed team event. In 2018, she partnered with Payee Lim and won the Malaysia International in women’s doubles.
Video credit: Guardian Sport
While it didn’t rack up any world records, Thinaah and Pearly stunned badminton followers and made headlines with their monumental 211-shot marathon rally against formidable Japan’s Rena Miyaura and Ayako Sakuramoto.
The rally took place at the BWF Malaysia Masters held at Axiata Arena Bukit Jalil in 2023, in the women’s doubles Round of 16 match. It ended with Tan delivering a shot that Sakuramoto missed, bringing an end to the 3-minute rally.
5. They are currently ranked 12th in the world
Screenshot from BWF
Their badminton journey hit a high with their sensational win in the women’s doubles event at the 2022 French Open. The victory wasn’t just a feather in their cap – it propelled them to an impressive 13th spot in the BWF World Rankings for women’s doubles.
As of 1st August 2024, they are ranked 12th in the world with a total of 62,273 points.
6. They made their Olympics debut at the Paris 2024 Olympics
Image credit: @thinaah_m via Instagram
Pearly and Thinaah are fresh Olympians – they made their Olympics debut at the Paris 2024 Olympics. And while the games have only just kicked off, the girls have already been making their mark.
One of their standout moments so far is a thrilling victory against Japan’s formidable duo, Mayu Matsumoto and Wakana Nagahara, who are two-time former world champions and currently ranked 6th in the world.
But Pearly and Thinaah’s momentum didn’t stop there. In their final Group A match, they faced Indonesia’s Apriyani Rahayu and Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti, clinching a crucial victory that propelled them straight into the quarterfinals. This made them the second Malaysian women’s doubles pair to reach the last eight at the Olympics, following the footsteps of Vivian Hoo and Woon Khe Wei, who made it to the quarterfinals at the Rio 2016 Olympics.
On 1st August 2024, they achieved yet another feat at the Paris 2024 Olympics – they are the first Malaysian women’s doubles pair to reach the semi-finals, after defeating South Korea’s Kim So Yeong and Kong Hee Yong in just under 42 minutes.
7. They’ve known each other since their teenage years
Image credit: @thinaah_m via Instagram
The duo crossed paths long before they became the ones-to-watch in women’s doubles for badminton. They met at Bukit Jalil Sports School in 2013, when Pearly was just 13 years old and Thinaah two years her senior.
Despite being polar opposites – Thinaah an extrovert, and Pearly the more reserved one – the pair became close friends quickly, attributing their successes on the court to the close bond they formed in their secondary school days.
In an interview segment to see who knows each other better for BWF TV’s YouTube channel, both Thinaah and Pearly’s undeniable friendship saw them having the same answers to all but one question.
8. Pearly holds the record for the fastest badminton smash
Video credit: Yonex
Tan is known for her explosive jumping smashes. In 2023, at the Yonex stadium in Japan, she set a new Guinness World Record for the Fastest Female Badminton Hit with a jaw-dropping 438 km/h. This is faster than a Formula One (F1) car speed record of 397 km/h.
She became the first female badminton player in the world to hold the Guinness World Record title.
9. Thinaah speaks four languages, including Mandarin
Image credit: @thinaah_m via Instagram
Thinaah is fluent in four languages: Tamil, Malay, English, and Mandarin. Her journey to mastering Mandarin began in high school, driven by a desire to bridge the communication gap with her fellow badminton players who were mostly Chinese. With encouragement from her parents, she decided to take matters into her own hands by learning the language on her own – in just 6 months, she was able to speak Mandarin fluently.
10. They come from families of badminton players
Pearly’s badminton roots run deep, thanks to her family’s strong ties to the sport. Her father, Tan Seng Hoe, manages the Alor Setar Racquet Club (ASRC), a hub for budding shuttlers that’s seen some impressive names pass through its doors, including Lee Zii Jia and Jacky Kok. Her sister also made her mark in the sports scene as a former national badminton player.
Likewise, Thinaah comes from a family with its own badminton history. Her sister, Selinaah Muralitharan, was a former state shuttler for Selangor.
11. The pair clinched their first BWF World Tour Title in 2021
Image credit: @thinaah_m via Instagram
Tan and Muralitharan first took the badminton world by storm at the YONEX Swiss Open 2021, making history as the first Malaysian women’s doubles pair in over two years to snag a BWF World Tour title.
Their breakthrough performance was nothing short of spectacular, as they took down the third-seeded Bulgarian duo, Stefani Stoeva and Gabriela Stoeva, with a decisive 21-19, 21-12 victory in just 42 minutes. This was their first final at this level, and they made it count in style.
Despite trailing in the first game, they pulled off a stunning comeback, scoring four consecutive points from 17-19 to take control of the match. They were the only non-Europeans to claim a title on finals day, proving their mettle against strong European competition.
Get to know Malaysian badminton women’s doubles duo, Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan
From record-breaking smashes to historic badminton career feats, Pearly and Thinaah have shown that hard work, dedication, and a touch of flair can turn dreams into reality.
We wish them the best of luck and can’t wait to see what they’ll conquer next at this year’s Olympics in Paris!
For more Olympics news, read 10 facts about Malaysia at the Olympics and Olympians who are making their debuts.
Cover image adapted from: @thinaah_m via Instagram, @thinaah_m via Instagram