Pearly Tan and M Thinaah win bronze at 2026 Asian Games

Malaysian women's badminton doubles pair Pearly Tan and M Thinaah secured a bronze medal at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya. This achievement ends a 12-year drought for Malaysia in the women's doubles category at the Asian Games, the last medal in this event being won by Vivian Hoo and Woon Khe Wei in 2014.

The world number five duo reached the semi-finals but fell to the world number one pair from China, Liu Sheng Shu-Tan Ning, in a competitive three-set match. The scoreline was 21-16, 20-22, and 12-21.

Following the match, Pearly and Thinaah expressed pride in their achievement despite the disappointment of missing the final. They noted that while they were close to winning in straight sets, they struggled with composure during critical points in the second and third sets. The pair intends to review their performance to improve for future tournaments.