Pearly-Thinaah taking a wefie with fans after beating Japan’s Rena Miyaura-Ayako Sakuramoto in the second round of the Malaysia Masters in 2024.
SPORTs unite Malaysians from all backgrounds, regardless of race or religion.
Four of the country’s top badminton doubles pairs are among those who have shown that race and religion are not barriers to achieving success.
They are men’s doubles pairs Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, Yap Roy King-Wan Arif Wan Junaidi, Mohd Haikal Nazri-Choong Hon Jian and the women’s doubles team of Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah.
World No. 3 Sze Fei-Izzuddin and world No. 2 Pearly-Thinaah are currently Malaysia’s top player combos while Roy King-Arif and Hon Jian-Haikal, who are ranked No.22 and 42 respectively, are promising young rising pairs.
Speaking on partnerships with players from different races, Haikal, who hails from Kelantan, said: “We all know that Malaysia is a multiracial country and we are comfortable playing together regardless of race and religion.
“There is no racism in the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM). We train and compete together regularly.
“We all have the same spirit and we fight alongside each other for our country.”
Haikal, 22, was paired with Hon Jian, 24, in 2023. The duo now have three titles to their name – the Syed Modi International, Guwahati Masters and Orleans Masters.
On his partnership with Hon Jian, Haikal said: “Since we started playing together, we have had no problems communicating.
“We speak with each other in Malay. I can also understand a bit of Mandarin.
“We have had no issues despite being of different races.
Sze Fei-Izzuddin celebrating after winning a point against Taiwan’s Chen Zhi-ray-Lin Yu-chieh.
“We also enjoy having meals together. BAM will sometimes organise gatherings during festivals and we look forward to joining and celebrating together,” added Haikal.
Roy King, who is from Johor, is also happy with his partnership with Terengganu-born Arif.
Roy King-Arif initially needed some time to get to know each other when they first teamed up in 2023.
Now, they are very much in sync and even like to joke with each other in Mandarin.
“Arif cannot speak Mandarin well but he can understand the language. Sometimes, we joke together in Mandarin,” said Roy King.
Reflecting on their journey, he said: “Initially, we needed some time to get to know each other.
“It was a bit hard to communicate at first but day by day, it became easier as I got to know him.
“We speak mostly in Malay and sometimes in Mandarin. We are comfortable with each other.
“During Chinese New Year and Hari Raya, we wish each other and our families.
“Arif will also jokingly ask for ang pow from my father,” Roy King said.
The 24-year-old has a message for other young athletes.
“Sports bring us together regardless of race and religion.
“We are Malaysians and we need to stick together,” he said.
“We need to have this mindset from young.
“Every race has its strengths.
“Having players of different races partnering in doubles is unique in our country and makes us stronger,” added Roy King.
Hon Jian-Haikal after winning against Thailand’s Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Kittinupong Kedren at the Malaysia Masters.
Both Hon Jian-Haikal and Roy King-Arif will be keen to emulate Sze Fei-Izzuddin, who have gone through thick and thin together to rise to No.1 in the world in May this year.
Sze Fei and Izzuddin started playing together in 2016 and initially struggled for a breakthrough, before capturing the German Open title in 2022.
The pair decided to split in 2023, citing a lack of trust, but resolved their differences quickly that same year and went on to win a few lower tier titles.
Their partnership really caught fire last year when they decided to leave BAM and turn independent.
Sze Fei-Izzuddin captured the Japan Open in their last tournament as BAM players and went on to triumph in the China Open and Arctic Open.
The duo also qualified for the prestigious season-ending World Tour Finals last December and finished runners-up in the tourney.
Sze Fei-Izzuddin won the Indian Open in January and moved up one rung to the coveted No.1 spot for the first time in their careers.
The pair have proven that their different races and trials and tribulations in their sporting journey have not stopped them from logging big achievements on the badminton court.
In the women’s doubles, Pearly-Thinaah are another combination that reflects Malaysia’s unique multicultural society.
The pair met while studying in Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) and have been close friends ever since.
Thinaah’s ability to converse in Mandarin fluently made it easy for her and Pearly to click both on and off court.
The 27-year-old Thinaah is also fluent in English, Malay and Tamil and being multilingual helps her switch between different languages when communicating with Pearly during tournaments.
Roy King-Arif celebrating after winning a point against Denmark’s Rasmus Kjaer-Frederick Sogaard.
“Thinaah was my first friend in BJSS. I was a shy person when I joined BJSS but Thinaah was really friendly and we quickly became close,” said Pearly.
“Our friendship is definitely a great asset to our partnership. We talk a lot about life and our goals outside the courts too.
“On court, we have full confidence in each other,” she said.
Thinaah rejoined: “I speak English, Malay, Tamil and Mandarin. On court, when the rally is going on, I think I speak Mandarin more with Pearly.
“But during the intervals between games, when we are discussing our next moves, I’ll speak a mix of three languages: English, Malay and Mandarin.
“Of course, when we are tired, we don’t know what language we are going to use. It just comes out and thankfully, she understands what I say.”
On court, Pearly-Thinaah have achieved several firsts for Malaysia. The pair created history last August in the Paris OIympics when they became the first Malaysians to reach the women’s doubles semi-finals in the Olympics.
In 2022, Pearly-Thinaah were also the first women’s doubles duo from the country to capture the French Open title.
They were also the first Malaysians to win the Hong Kong Open last year and Thailand Open crowns in the women’s doubles.
