After 10 Years Of Waiting, Malaysia’s Gold Came Down To Two Words: ‘We Did This Together’

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When the final point was won, the relief was visible – Malaysia’s Pearly Tan and M Thinaah had just done what no Malaysian women’s doubles pair could do since 2015: win SEA Games gold.

The 21-16, 19-21, 21-17 victory over Indonesia’s Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma-Meilysa Trias Puspitasari on Sunday (14 December) ended a decade-long drought.

But it was what happened after—and what the players said—that revealed the emotional weight they’d been carrying.

Not long after stepping off the podium, Tan posted on Facebook a message that wasn’t about tactics or technique. It was personal.

A special thank you to my partner for always covering me, especially when I wasn’t in the best condition. Thank you for staying strong and holding on. Finally, we did this together.

The post, accompanied by photos of the pair in their gold medal moment with their coach Rosman Razak and director of coaching Rexy Mainaky, showed a side rarely seen in competitive sports—vulnerability and gratitude.

After dominating the first set 21-16 with fast-paced play and solid defence, they faltered in the second set 19-21 before the decider became a test of nerve as much as skill, with the Malaysians ultimately prevailing 21-17.

The Burden of A Decade

Malaysia’s last women’s doubles gold at the SEA Games was won in 2015 in Singapore by Amelia Alicia Anscelly and Soong Fie Cho.

Every pair since has competed in the shadow of that achievement.

Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh acknowledged this pressure in her Facebook post congratulating the duo.

“Ten years of waiting, and finally, the moment we’ve been waiting for has arrived,” she wrote in Malay.

Not just a victory, but a gift to the supporters, hopes and prayers of the nation’s badminton fans who have long awaited success in the women’s team event at the SEA Games. Thank you for ending the long drought.

Yeoh called it “a brave debut, a historic victory,” while the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) praised their “consistency and determination on display” throughout the year.

BAM also noted the significance, posting: “The World No. 2 Malaysian duo secure their third title of the year after Thailand Open and Arctic Open, and their seventh final overall in 2025.”

@atokaslanzack WOMEN DOUBLE FINAL – SEA GAMES 2025 Pingat Emas kepada Malaysia hasil kemenangan digame penentuan #fyp #seagames2025 #pearlythinaah #teammalaysia #badminton ♬ original sound – AtokAslan

This Gold Is For Malaysia

Despite being ranked world number two, this was Pearly-Thinaah’s first SEA Games appearance as a pair, making their gold medal win on debut all the more significant under the weight of national expectation.

In the Facebook post, Tan made clear who the victory was for: “This gold is for Malaysia, and for everyone who never stopped believing in us and always had our backs.”

For Malaysian badminton, the win also makes up for the surprising semi-final defeat suffered by Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei, the reigning mixed doubles world champions.

But perhaps the most telling measure of what this meant came from Tan’s own words: “Finally, we did this together.”

@aisysofeaaa_1221 Our Gold Medalist WD SEA GAMES 2025Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan Congrats Pearlythinaah #seagames2025 #pearlytan #ThinaahMuralitharan #badmintonmalaysia #fyp ♬ original sound – Lirik Pendek – Nami Abaya Exclusive HQ