I grew up hearing names like – Malaysian swimming Olympian Nurul Huda Abdullah, Malaysian professional ten-pin bowler Datuk Shalin Zulkifli and world’s longest reigning squash champion Datuk Nicol Ann David – coming from the sports news, which my late dad would have on at 8.00pm sharp daily, many years back.
Though these three notable women have retired from their sport which they once dominated, they continue to push for efforts to empower and enhance the role of women in the field of sports in Malaysia.
Malaysia has seen a slew of exceptional sportswomen over the years and here at makchic, we would like to highlight a few of these incredible women who have brought glory to the country on the world stage and continue to shine a bright light on the sports scene in the nation.
Making Malaysia Proud
1. Squash: Sivasangari Subramaniam
The future continues to look bright for the Malaysian squash scene even after Nicol David announced her retirement in 2019. With incredible players such as Sivasangari, Rachel Arnold, Aira Azman and Aifa Azman who together clinched Malaysia’s gold in the women’s team event at the Hangzhou Asian Games (the biggest sporting competition in Asia) this year, we can be assured of success in the sport globally!
What stands out about Sivasangari is even after being in a horrific road accident in 2022 where she suffered severe injuries, she has clawed her way back to competitive squash, even securing the gold for the singles event at Hangzhou.
Follow her here.
2. Diving: Nur Dhabitah Sabri
Dhabitah made history in 2021 when she became the first Malaysian diver to clinch a silver medal for the 3m springboard event at the Commonwealth Games. The newly-wed who got married in April this year, is often paired up for events with national diving queen Datuk Pandelela Rinong – the first Malaysian female athlete to win an Olympic medal back in 2012.
Follow her here.
3. Badminton: Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah
This formidable duo have fiercely climbed up the world rankings over time and created history in 2022 by becoming the first women’s doubles pair in Malaysia to win the prestigious French Open.
Thinaah, is not only an accomplished athlete but speaks four languages; English, Malay, Tamil and Mandarin, which makes the partnership even more remarkable and speaks volumes of Malaysia’s multi-ethnic society.
This year they reached the quarter-finals of the World Championships held in August in Denmark, another extraordinary achievement in women’s badminton. Together they’ve beaten top world-class pairs from both Japan and South Korea.
4. Wushu: Tan Cheong Min
Competing for the first time ever in the Asian Games this year, Tan Cheong Min bagged a silver medal for Malaysia in the women’s Nanquan-Nandao event. The Melaka-born lass made many teary-eyed as they watched her be overcome with emotion as she received her medal at the games. She followed up this win by bagging the gold medal in the recently concluded World Combat Games in Saudi Arabia.
Follow her here.
5. Bowling: Natasha Roslan
In October this year, bowler Natasha Roslan ended a 12-year drought for the country when she won the women’s singles title at the World Bowling Championship in Kuwait. The fourth child in a family of five siblings, Natasha was first introduced to the sport by her mother. She was also part of the Malaysian women’s bowling squad that clinched the gold back in 2017 in the same championship in Las Vegas.
Follow her here.
6. Sailing: Nur Shazrin Mohamad Latif
National sailor Nur Shazrin is one of the few Malaysian athletes who have qualified thus far for the Paris 2024 Olympics. She also bagged Malaysia’s first gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games this year.
Can one of them win Malaysia’s first ever Olympic gold?
The Road to Gold (RTG), Paris 2024 Olympics
Badminton duo Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah as well as diving queens Pandelela Rinong and Nur Dhabitah Sabri have currently been included in the Road to Gold programme –a high-performance training plan and support service aimed at winning the country’s first ever gold medal in either the Paris 2024 or the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic games.
The anticipation of an Olympic medal is also building up for top women Malaysian squash players too, as the sport is officially set to be included in the 2028 Olympics for the first time in history!
From the iconic figures of Nurul Huda, Shalin and Nicol to the current crop of outstanding Malaysian sportswomen, we at makchic, are truly inspired by their resilience, determination and achievements. They are our hope and inspiration for generations to come. Through them, we hope the current and next generation of young girls and boys will learn that when armed with skill, determination and the unwavering support of your country, nothing is impossible!
