SHUTTLERS Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei created history by becoming the first Malaysian mixed doubles pair to clinch the gold medal at the TotalEnergies BWF World Championships 2025, held at the Adidas Arena in Paris today.
The No. 4 seeds combined almost flawlessly to defeat the second-seeded Chinese pair Jiang Zhen Bang-Wei Yei Xin 21-15, 21-14.
The victory was the perfect Merdeka gift for the nation as Malaysia celebrates its 68th Independence Day today.
This marks Malaysia’s second-ever gold medal at the World Championships, following Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik’s men’s doubles triumph in 2022, which ended a 45-year wait since its inception in 1977.
Both players sang the sweet refrain of Negaraku as the Jalur Gemilang was hoisted during the prize-giving ceremony at the arena.
“I can’t even put into words what I feel right now,” Tang Jie told BWF in a post-match interview at the Mixed Zone.
“I’m just so glad that people can now call us world champions. That title means everything — it’s something every player dreams of.”
Ee Wei added: “Because this is the World Championships, if you win it, you truly are a world champion.
“When we played in the last 16, we felt a lot of pressure, but after that, we managed to overcome it. Today, we just stuck to our game plan.
“This win means a lot to us, especially because it’s Malaysia’s National Day. We had a full house of Malaysian fans cheering us on, and we could really feel their energy on court. That gave us the strength to keep going and fight for every point.”
Malaysia’s hopes of securing a second gold medal of the night were dashed when second-seeded Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah went down fighting to China’s top seeds Liu Sheng Shu-Tan Ning, 14-21, 22-20, 17-21, in the women’s doubles final.
Despite the defeat, Pearly and Thinaah could hold their heads high for their spirited performance. It marked their best-ever achievement at the World Championships in four appearances, surpassing their quarter-final finish in the 2023 edition.
Earlier in the women’s singles, Japan’s Yamaguchi Akane captured her third crown with a commanding 21-9, 21-13 victory over Olympic gold medallist Chen Yufei, adding to her world titles in 2021 and 2022. She is now only the second woman, after Carolina Marin, to win three women’s singles gold medals.
China’s Shi Yuqi clinched his first world title after staging a comeback to defeat defending champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand 19-21, 21-10, 21-18 in the men’s singles final.
It was sweet redemption for the world No. 1, who had fallen to Japan’s Kento Momota in the 2018 final.
Shi reached the championship match after saving two match points in his semi-final against Canada’s Victor Lai, prevailing 13-21, 22-20, 21-16. Kunlavut, meanwhile, booked his place in the final with a 21-17, 21-15 victory over Denmark’s Anders Antonsen.
In the last match of the night, South Korea’s Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae lived up to their world No. 1 ranking with an emphatic 21-17, 21-12 victory over China’s Chen Bo Yang-Liu Yi in the men’s doubles final. The Korean pair have been in superb form this year, capturing three of the four Super 1000 titles.
RESULTS (All finals):
Mixed doubles: Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei (Mas) bt Jiang Zhen Bang-Wei Ya Xin (Chn) 21-15, 21-14.
Women’s singles: Yamaguchi Akane (Jpn) bt Chen Yufei (Chn) 21-9, 21-13.
Women’s doubles: Liu Sheng Shu-Tan Ning (Chn) bt Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah (Mas) 21-14, 20-22, 21-17.
Men’s singles: Shi Yuqi (Chn) bt Kunlavut Vitidsarn (Tha) 19-21, 21-10, 21-18.
Men’s doubles: Kim Won-ho-Seo Seung-jae (Kor) bt Chen Bo Yang-Liu Yi (Chn) 21-17, 21-12.
Story by K.H. Ong