KUALA LUMPUR – National women’s doubles player M. Thinaah has no regrets switching from singles early in her career, as she prepares to make her Olympic debut with partner Pearly Tan in Paris.
Although she sometimes misses playing in the singles event, she did not expect that her decision to make the change five years ago would be fruitful.
Thinaah, who has been part of the national squad since she was 13 years old, achieved her breakthrough in singles at the age of 19 when she was crowned national champion in 2017.
However, her singles career trajectory did not meet expectations as she struggled to achieve international titles, prompting her decision to explore women’s doubles.
Transitioning from singles to doubles is not uncommon in the national team’s journey. Women’s single’s players like Tee Jing Yi, who competed in the 2012 London Olympics, and Lim Chiew Sien have made similar switches.
Similarly, men’s singles players like Goh Soon Huat and Tan Kian Meng also opted to switch to mixed doubles to rejuvenate their careers.
For some, when singles players transition to doubles pairs, it may signify nearing retirement. However, Thinaah has proven the opposite.
Since pairing with Pearly, they have achieved numerous successes, including reaching the world top 10 and becoming the first Malaysian women’s doubles team to win the French Open in 2022.
“I consider it a do or die situation for me because the transition isn’t easy. Moving from singles to doubles requires a lot more learning for me as a singles player.
“But every athlete dreams of competing in the Olympics, so dreams must persist. I never expected to actually make it to the Olympics this time.
“I owe this achievement to my partner, Pearly, who has supported me throughout. I am grateful for the constant support.
“Moving to women’s doubles was a decision I made after not achieving many results in singles.
“It was either switch to doubles or consider leaving badminton altogether. Thanks to coach Rosman (Razak) for accepting me as a doubles player and for guiding me extensively in this new role.
After eight Olympic Games since badminton’s inclusion in this prestigious event in 1992 in Barcelona, Malaysia’s best achievement in women’s doubles was achieved by Vivian Hoo and Woon Khe Wei, who advanced to the quarter-finals in Rio 2016.
Although this will be Thinaah and Pearly’s Olympic debut, they have the potential to surpass this achievement, thus creating another historic milestone for Malaysian badminton at the Olympic Games.
At the same time, as a former women’s singles player, Thinaah is aware of the challenges faced by the current national women’s singles squad, which is struggling to achieve notable results.
Even after the overhaul of the national women’s singles squad in 2022, Malaysia has yet to produce players who can compete in high-profile tournaments such as those on the BWF World Tour.
Thinaah urges current women’s singles players not to give up easily, as their journey is far from over.
“I believe they are juniors at the moment, but some of them are doing extremely well, particularly during the Uber Cup. They have shown good performances and challenging players ranked in the top 10 or 20 in the world is not easy.
“I really hope they don’t give up easily, stay focused, train hard, and eventually they will reach that level,” she added. – June 20, 2024