She Lost Her Grandma, Then Her Bunny — Thinaah Took The Court Anyway And Came Home With An Asian Games Medal

Follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and WhatsApp for the latest stories and breaking news.

Malaysian badminton player Thinaah Muralitharan has opened up about the difficult month she went through before winning an Asian Games bronze medal with Pearly Tan

In a post shared on 29 September, Thinaah said her grandmother died on 21 August, just two days after the 2026 BWF World Championships began in New Delhi, India.

She immediately flew home and was grateful that she managed to see her grandmother one last time.

"I lost someone who was always eagerly waiting for me to come home after every tournament," she wrote in her post, which has since gone viral, receiving an outpouring of support from her fans.

"I did come home this time, but it was too late."

Thinaah said knowing her grandmother had passed peacefully gave her some comfort, even though she continued to miss her.

Three weeks later, she lost her "Roger boy"

Three weeks after losing her grandmother, Thinaah said she also lost her pet rabbit, whom she affectionately called Roger and her "gundy bunny".

She said Roger also passed away peacefully, and she took comfort in believing he was no longer in pain.

"Bunny didn't feel any pain and left peacefully," she wrote.

"I know [you're] in a better place, hopping freely and joyfully now, my baby bunny."

She kept training despite barely having time to recover

Thinaah said the losses made the past month one of the lowest periods of her life. But she continued going for training before heading home afterwards, despite not getting enough sleep or recovery time.

"Only the ones who know know how hard it was for me to come for training, and to go straight back home after that and without proper sleep and recovery, I still managed to show up," she wrote.

"I don't know how I did it, but yeah, I did it."

She also thanked her coaches and her partner for giving her the space she needed while she dealt with the two losses.

The Asian Games felt different this time

Thinaah said competing at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, came with mixed emotions after everything she had experienced in the weeks leading up to it. But one thing remained clear to her: she did not want to leave the court with regrets.

"Never leave any regrets on court and to enjoy the game," she wrote.

Thinaah and Pearly ultimately finished with a bronze medal, ending Malaysia's 12-year wait to win a medal in the women's doubles event at the Asian Games.

While she admitted there was some disappointment at not reaching the final and getting a chance to fight for gold, she said the pair deserved to give themselves credit for what they had gone through.

"For whatever we both went through this past month, we have to give ourselves a pat on the back," she wrote.

She also thanked Pearly for their matches over the previous two weeks and for reminding her that "as long as we have each other, anything is possible".

Then she dedicated the medal to both of them

For Thinaah, the bronze medal became more than just a result at the Asian Games.

"Before winning this medal for the country, I have to say this medal is for my grandma and bunny who have been guiding me from above," she wrote.

She ended the post by describing herself as an Asian Games Bronze Medalist, a medal she now carries with the memory of two lives she lost within the same month.