A week ago, the organisers of the Paris Olympics “infused” Greek mythology into its opening ceremony. Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah are now channelling the spirit of mythological heroes in their quest for redemption and glory.
The duo’s ‘Odyssey’ in the women’s doubles has sailed into uncharted territory. They are the first Malaysian women’s pair to reach the semifinals of the badminton competition at the Olympics after beating South Korea’s Kim So-yeong-Kong Hee-yong 21-12, 21-13 earlier today.
Malaysia’s previous best result in the women’s doubles came eight years ago in Rio de Janeiro, where Woon Khe Wei-Vivian Hoo reached the quarterfinals.
Joining Tan and Thinaah in the semifinals are Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in the men’s doubles.
The former world champions had to dig deep before getting the better of India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty.
The Malaysians, bronze medallists at the Tokyo Games, beat the third seeds 13-21, 21-14, 21-16 in 63 minutes. They face world No. 1 Liang Wei Keng-Wang Chang in the semifinals.
Tan and Thinaah will enter the semifinals as the underdogs against top seeds Chen Qing Chen-Jia Yi Fan of China, thirsty for revenge after falling to their Asian rivals in two close games during the group stage.
The semifinal is a chance for the Malaysians to forge their legend, rise from their previous setback and claim the ultimate prize.
Many have written off the Malaysian duo, but they only have to cast their minds back to Birmingham, England, five months ago, where they recorded their only victory in five encounters over Chen and Jia.
Then, Tan and Thinaah beat the Chinese pair 22-20, 21-16 in the third round of the All-England Open.
The pairs met at the group stage in Paris, with Tan and Thinaah giving the world No. 1 duo a tough time before losing 21-17, 22-20.
The Chinese pair had an easy quarterfinal tie, beating Bulgaria’s Gabriela and Stefani Stoeva 21-15, 21-8.
They have had a relatively easy tournament, with the Malaysian girls posing the biggest threat.
Tan and Thinaah have been the brightest sparks of the Malaysian contingent following the exit of women’s singles player Goh Jin Wei, and Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei in the mixed doubles.
Lee Zii Jia, however, reached the quarterfinals after he defeated France’s Toma Junior Popov 21-13, 24-22 in the men’s singles.
Shooter Johnathan Wong has ended his quest, while the women archers have not hit the bullseye in the individual events.
As we enter the second week of the Olympics, Malaysian badminton fans will no doubt pray that the national shuttlers’ journey doesn’t end in a Greek tragedy in the French capital.
Pearly Tan (front) returns a shot while M. Thinaah waits to attack the net. The Malaysian pair defeated South Korea’s Kim So-yeong-Kong Hee-yong 21-12, 21-13 to reach the quarterfinals of the women’s doubles competition at the Paris Olympics. Image: OCM
