KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 2 — On their return flight home from Paris, Malaysia’s newly crowned badminton athletes received a warm welcome aboard a Malaysia Airlines plane, where the crew honoured their historic achievements at the 2025 BWF World Championships.
A video posted on Instagram showed mixed doubles champions Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei, together with women’s doubles silver medallists Pearly Tan and Muralitharan Thinaah, being celebrated by the flight attendants and passengers.
The quartet made history in Paris with Malaysia’s first-ever world title in mixed doubles and the country’s first appearance in a women’s doubles final.
“They have made history for our beloved country Malaysia.
“Ladies and gentlemen, please join us in giving them a round of applause for this outstanding achievement,” the crew announced, sparking cheers and applause throughout the cabin.
The clip also captured cabin crew carrying Malaysian flags as they moved through the cabin before stopping to congratulate Chen and Toh.
Chen and Toh secured Malaysia’s first mixed doubles world title by defeating China’s Jiang Zhenbang and Wei Yaxin 21-15, 21-14 in the final.
Tan and Thinaah, meanwhile, became the first Malaysian women’s pair to reach a World Championship final, narrowly losing to top seeds Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning 14-21, 22-20, 17-21 after an 83-minute battle.
The two pairs’ achievements delivered Malaysia’s best-ever results in a single edition of the world meet, lifting expectations of a new era for the sport in the country.
