Pearly Tan

In this Chinese name, the family name is Tan.
Pearly Tan
陈康乐
Tan at the 2022 Commonwealth Games medal ceremony
Personal information
Birth namePearly Tan Koong Le
CountryMalaysia
Born (2000-03-14) 14 March 2000 (age 24)
Alor Setar, Kedah, Malaysia
Height1.64 m (5 ft 5 in)
Years active2015-present
HandednessRight
CoachLee Meng Yean
Hoon Thien How
Rexy Mainaky
Women's & mixed doubles
Highest ranking5 (WD with Thinaah Muralitharan, 31 January 2023)
74 (XD with Man Wei Chong, 17 March 2020)
Current ranking6 (WD with Thinaah Muralitharan, 19 November 2024)
Medal record
Women's badminton
Representing  Malaysia
Sudirman Cup
Bronze medal – third place 2021 Vantaa Mixed team
Bronze medal – third place 2023 Suzhou Mixed team
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place 2022 Birmingham Women's doubles
Gold medal – first place 2022 Birmingham Mixed team
Asia Team Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2020 Manila Women's team
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Selangor Women's team
World Junior Championships
Silver medal – second place 2016 Bilbao Mixed team
Silver medal – second place 2017 Yogyakarta Mixed team
Silver medal – second place 2018 Markham Girls' doubles
Asian Junior Championships
Silver medal – second place 2018 Jakarta Girls' doubles
Bronze medal – third place 2017 Jakarta Mixed team
Bronze medal – third place 2018 Jakarta Mixed team
BWF profile

Pearly Tan Koong Le ASK (Chinese: 陳康樂; pinyin: Chén Kānglè; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tân Khong-lo̍k; born 14 March 2000) is a Malaysian badminton player. An Olympian, she and Thinaah Muralitharan created history by becoming the first ever Malaysian semi-finalists at the women's doubles event at the 2024 Summer Olympics. At the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Tan and Muralitharan became gold medalists in the women's doubles and mixed team event.[1][2]

Tan and her then partner Toh Ee Wei became silver medalists in the girls' doubles events at the 2018 Asian and World Junior Championships.[3] After brief partnerships with Teoh Mei Xing and Lim Chiew Sin in 2019, she went on to win her first senior title at the 2019 Malaysia International Series the same year with her current (as of August 2024) partner Thinaah Muralitharan.

Career

In 2021, Tan and her partner Thinaah Muralitharan clinched their first BWF World Tour title at the Swiss Open.[4]

In 2022, Tan and Muralitharan claimed the French Open title, becoming the first ever Malaysian women's doubles pair to achieve this feat.[5]

In 2023, Tan set a new world record for the fastest women's badminton smash at 438 kilometers per hour. She is the first female badminton player to hold that world record.[6]

Tan and Muralitharan became the first ever Malaysian women's doubles pair to advance to the semi-finals of an Olympic Games at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Ranked 13th in the world at the time, they were drawn alongside Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan from China, Mayu Matsumoto and Wakana Nagahara from Japan, and Apriyani Rahayu and Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti from Indonesia, ranked 1st, 6th, and 9th in the world respectively.[7] Having successfully advanced from the group stage with a 2–1 record, they defeated then ranked 7th in the world Kim So-yeong and Kong Hee-yong from Korea in the quarter-finals in straight sets, before falling to Chen and Jia in the semi-finals and Japan's Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida in the bronze medal match.

Personal life

Tan was born in Alor Setar, Kedah to Tan Chai Ling and badminton coach Tan Seng Hoe.[8] Her father runs the Alor Setar Racquet Club (ASRC), which is also the childhood club of national shuttlers Lee Zii Jia and Jacky Kok.[9]

Awards and recognition

Order

Awards

Year Award Category Result
2022 National Sports Awards National women's team (with Thinaah Muralitharan) Won[10]

Achievements

Commonwealth Games

The six medallists in the women's badminton doubles at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Left to right: Chloe Birch and Lauren Smith (England), Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan (Malaysia), Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand (India).

Women's doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result Ref
2022 National Exhibition Centre,
Birmingham, England 		Malaysia Thinaah Muralitharan England Chloe Birch
England Lauren Smith 		21–5, 21–8 Gold Gold [11]

World Junior Championships

Girls' doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result Ref
2018 Markham Pan Am Centre,
Markham, Canada 		Malaysia Toh Ee Wei China Liu Xuanxuan
China Xia Yuting 		16–21, 16–21 Silver Silver [3]

Asian Junior Championships

Girls' doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result Ref
2018 Jaya Raya Sports Hall Training Center,
Jakarta, Indonesia 		Malaysia Toh Ee Wei Indonesia Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma
Indonesia Ribka Sugiarto 		12–21, 16–21 Silver Silver [12]

BWF World Tour (3 titles, 4 runners-up)

The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018,[13] is a series of elite badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). The BWF World Tours are divided into levels of World Tour Finals, Super 1000, Super 750, Super 500, Super 300, and the BWF Tour Super 100.[14]

Women's doubles

Year Tournament Level Partner Opponent Score Result Ref
2021 Swiss Open Super 300 Malaysia Thinaah Muralitharan Bulgaria Gabriela Stoeva
Bulgaria Stefani Stoeva 		21–19, 21–12 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [4]
2022 French Open Super 750 Malaysia Thinaah Muralitharan Japan Mayu Matsumoto
Japan Wakana Nagahara 		21–19, 18–21, 21–15 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [5]
2023 Malaysia Masters Super 500 Malaysia Thinaah Muralitharan South Korea Baek Ha-na
South Korea Lee So-hee 		20–22, 21–8, 17–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up [15]
2023 Hong Kong Open Super 500 Malaysia Thinaah Muralitharan Indonesia Apriyani Rahayu
Indonesia Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti 		21–14, 22–24, 9–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up [16]
2024 Korea Open Super 500 Malaysia Thinaah Muralitharan South Korea Jeong Na-eun
South Korea Kim Hye-jeong 		12–21, 11–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up [17]
2024 Hong Kong Open Super 500 Malaysia Thinaah Muralitharan China Liu Shengshu
China Tan Ning 		21–14, 21–14 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner [18]
2024 Arctic Open Super 500 Malaysia Thinaah Muralitharan China Liu Shengshu
China Tan Ning 		12–21, 17–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up

BWF International Challenge/Series (3 titles, 3 runners-up)

Women's doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result
2019 Malaysia International Malaysia Thinaah Muralitharan Indonesia Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma
Indonesia Ribka Sugiarto 		21–16, 11–21, 21–18 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2019 Sydney International Malaysia Thinaah Muralitharan Chinese Taipei Cheng Yu-chieh
Chinese Taipei Tseng Yu-chi 		17–21, 21–17, 13–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2019 India International Malaysia Thinaah Muralitharan Malaysia Teoh Mei Xing
Malaysia Yap Ling 		21–18, 21–14 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2019 Bangladesh International Malaysia Thinaah Muralitharan India K. Maneesha
India Rutaparna Panda 		22–20, 21–19 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner

Mixed doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result
2019 India International Malaysia Chia Wei Jie Malaysia Hoo Pang Ron
Malaysia Cheah Yee See 		15–21, 15–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2019 Malaysia International Malaysia Man Wei Chong China Dong Weijie
China Chen Xiaofei 		16–21, 19–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
  BWF International Challenge tournament
  BWF International Series tournament

References

  1. ^ Tan, Ming Wai (8 August 2022). "Pearly-Thinaah win, Malaysia surpass Commonwealth target". New Straits Times. Archived from the original on 9 August 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  2. ^ Tan, Ming Wai (3 August 2022). "In smashing mood for four gold". New Straits Times. Archived from the original on 5 August 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Pearly sees lasting combo with 'Ah Toh' – even if they don't shop together". The Star. 20 November 2018. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  4. ^ a b "Swiss Open: Pearly-Thinaah capture title". Badminton Association of Malaysia. 7 March 2021. Archived from the original on 1 November 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  5. ^ a b Anil, Nicolas (30 October 2022). "French Open: Pearly-Thinaah create history after sensational final triumph". Stadium Astro. Archived from the original on 1 November 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  6. ^ Fong, Fernando (August 3, 2023). "Smashing Success: Badminton Darling Pearly Tan Breaks Guinness World Record | TRP".
  7. ^ "BWF - BWF World Rankings - Overview". bwf.tournamentsoftware.com. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
  8. ^ "Pearly's family proud of Pearly-Thinaah victory in French Open". The Star. 1 November 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  9. ^ Peter, Fabian (14 February 2022). "Zii Jia hopes Jacky will shine". New Straits Times. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  10. ^ Bernama (18 July 2023). "ASN 2022: Aaron-Wooi Yik, Joe Ee crowned national sportsman and sportswoman". The Sun Daily. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  11. ^ Tan, Ming Wai (8 August 2022). "Pearly-Thinaah win, Malaysia surpass Commonwealth target". New Straits Times. Archived from the original on 9 August 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  12. ^ "Pearly-Ee Wei must learn from Asia Junior Championships". New Straits Times. 22 July 2018. Archived from the original on 1 November 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  13. ^ Alleyne, Gayle (19 March 2017). "BWF Launches New Events Structure". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  14. ^ Sukumar, Dev (10 January 2018). "Action-Packed Season Ahead!". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 13 January 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  15. ^ Tan, Ming Wai (28 May 2023). "Pearly-Thinaah go down fighting in dramatic Malaysia Masters final". New Straits Times. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  16. ^ Anil, Nicolas (17 September 2023). "Hong Kong Open: Pearly-Thinaah finish as runners-up". Stadium Astro. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  17. ^ "Pearly-Thinaah, Runners-up In Korea Open 2024". Bernama. 1 September 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  18. ^ Salim, Faizal (15 September 2024). "Malaysia Day inspires Pearly-Thinaah to Hong Kong Open victory". New Straits Times. Retrieved 15 September 2024.