National women’s doubles aces Pearly Tan–M. Thinaah produced a performance of grit, composure and championship mentality to clinch SEA Games 2025 gold, outlasting Indonesia’s Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma–Meilysa Trias Puspitasari in a marathon 86-minute final today at Gymnasium 4, Thammasat University (Rangsit Campus),.
The hard-earned victory not only crowned Pearly–Thinaah as SEA Games champions on their debut, but also ended Malaysia’s 10-year wait for a women’s doubles gold medal at the regional showpiece.
The top-seeded Malaysians started confidently, racing to an 11–6 lead in the opening game. However, a lapse in momentum saw them trail 15–16 after the interval before regrouping calmly to seal the first game 21–16.
Buoyed by their strong start, the 2025 World Championship runners-up surged to a 7–0 lead in the second game and looked set to wrap up the contest. But costly unforced errors allowed the fourth-seeded Indonesians to mount a spirited comeback and steal the game 21–19, forcing a decider.
The final game turned into a nerve-shredding battle. Locked at 10–10, the Indonesians pulled ahead 16–13, only for Pearly–Thinaah to dig deep when it mattered most. The Malaysians reclaimed the initiative at 18–17 before Pearly unleashed a powerful winner that forced a crucial error, sealing a dramatic 21–17 victory.
The win of Pearly-Thinaah marked first-ever gold medal of this duo and this is Malaysia First gold of Badminton contingent in SEA Games 2025.
Malaysia last won the women’s doubles gold through Amelia Alicia Anscelly–Soong Fie Cho at the 2015 Singapore SEA Games, making today’s triumph all the more meaningful.
Credt Photo : BERNAMA
