KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 1 — Malaysia’s golden Merdeka moment was etched into history last night as Chen Tang Jie–Toh Ee Wei captured the mixed doubles crown at the 2025 Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Championships in Paris.
Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh hailed their historic victory, describing it as a priceless National Day gift for the nation.
“Our Road To Gold shuttlers — Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei — are Malaysia’s new mixed doubles WORLD CHAMPIONS!
“This Merdeka Day gold medal is not only extra special, it will now forever be etched in history as one of the country's finest sporting achievements,” she said in a post on her official X account.
Earlier, Tang Jie-Ee Wei stunned China’s Jiang Zhen Bang-Wei Ya Xin 21-15, 21-14 in a thrilling 40-minute title showdown at the Adidas Arena.
The triumph marks a milestone for Malaysian badminton as Tang Jie–Ee Wei become the first-ever Malaysian pair to clinch the mixed doubles world title, adding a glorious chapter to the nation’s sporting history.
Ee Wei admitted later that their “thirst” for victory came from the significance of the occasion.
“Because this is a World Championships. If you get it, you are a world champion. So, when we were playing in the last 16, we came under a lot of pressure. But we overcame it and today we just went with our game plan.
“This means a lot to us because it’s also the National Day, and we had a full house of Malaysian fans supporting us. So, we felt the energy and we just kept going and fought for every point,” she said in a BWF audio recording.
Ee Wei said that in the past, mistakes often left them frustrated — which led to their decision to make a change.
“This time, when we made mistakes, we just re-focused on what we should do and stuck with the game plan. Our coaches kept asking us to take a deep breath each time so we could have a clear mind to play on the court,” she said.
Tang Jie said words could not describe his feelings, though he was thrilled that others could now refer to them as world champions.
“I think our mental and (physical) preparation for the match was very clear and (we were) very determined. We didn’t think about winning or losing, we just tried to focus on the match and enjoy every moment,” he said.
Meanwhile, national women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan–M. Thinaah finished as runners-up at the BWF World Championships in Paris tonight after a spirited performance.
In the final, the world number two duo tried to adjust their game following a first-game loss, but China’s top-ranked pair Liu Sheng Shu–Tan Ning proved too strong as the Malaysians went down 14-21, 22-20, 17-21 after an intense one hour and 23 minutes.
Pearly–Thinaah became the first Malaysian women’s doubles pair to reach a World Championships final, surpassing their previous best of a quarter-final finish at the 2023 edition.
Thinaah said they were delighted to make the final, though a little disappointed not to clinch the title.
“But overall, I think it’s been a good week here,” she said in a BWF audio recording.
