Pearly-Thinaah Receive Standing Ovation For Their Win Against Japan's World No. 6
Doing Malaysians and fans all over proud.
By Celine Low — 29 Jul 2024, 04:13 PM
Badminton women's doubles team Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan received a standing ovation from the crowd for their fiery finish in the Group A match yesterday, 28 July
After a strong effort during their first Olympic match against world No. 1 China pair, Qing Chen-Yi Fan, the Malaysian pair successfully revived their chances of reaching the quarterfinals of the 2024 Olympic Games.
The national duo, ranked 13th in the world, defeated Japan's Mayu Matsumoto-Wakana Nagahara with a 18-21, 21-15, and 21-16 victory.
Chants of "Malaysia boleh" could be heard during the final moments of the third game when the match reached the score of 20-16. As soon as the shuttlecock touched the ground, loud cheers and whistling immediately erupted throughout the Porte De La Chapelle Arena in Paris.
Fans from all over, who were evidently engrossed in the game, stood up to congratulate the Malaysian pair. In the crowd, Malaysian flags could be spotted being waved by fans present in the arena.
Similarly, first-time Olympic shuttlers Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei also drew supportive chants from European fans
The mixed doubles pair claimed their first set with a convincing score of 21-15 against United States players Vinson Chiu and Jennie Gai. However, the second set proved to be a nail-biting affair as Chiu and Gai put up a formidable performance that had every Malaysian fan on the edge of their seats.
The atmosphere in the stadium was palpable, with everyone watching the match in pin-drop silence. The tension reached its peak in the closing minutes of the second set as both pairs fought for the win. Ultimately, Tang Jie-Ee Wei emerged victorious, clinching the second set with a score of 24-22.
Their win was met with resounding applause from the crowd.
Malaysians had plenty of reasons to celebrate yesterday as all Malaysian shuttlers successfully won their matches
Men's doubles team Aaron Chia-Woo Yik needed just 38 minutes to knock out Canada's Adam Dong and Nyl Yakura, with a 21-10 and 21-15 win.
National badminton player Lee Zii Jia had a smooth start to his Paris 2024 Olympic run, securing a 21-14 and 21-12 victory over Sri Lankan shuttler, Viren Nettasinghe.
Here are the schedules for Team Malaysia's next matches:
Mixed doubles pair Tang Jie-Ee Wei will be facing off China pair Huang Dong Ping and Feng Yan Zhe at 2.30pm today, 29 July. National women's singles player Goh Jin Wei will also be playing a match against Johanita Scholtz from South Africa today at 8.50pm.
Men's doubles Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik will also go head-to-head with world No. 1 Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang from China on Tuesday morning, 30 July, at 3.10am. (Hello, eyebags!)
Meanwhile, Pearly Tan-M Thinaah hope to qualify for the quarterfinals in their final group match at 2.30pm on Tuesday, 30 July. They will go head-to-head with Indonesia's Apriyani Rahayu-Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti.
Singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia will continue on his fight for a gold medal this Wednesday, 31 July as he plays against Spain's world No. 62 Pablo Abian.
