KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 31 — Malaysia’s sporting year reached unprecedented heights in 2025, led by a historic badminton world championship title in mixed doubles before an astonishing surge in wushu, swimming and para-cycling.
Mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei delivered the moment many Malaysian fans have long waited for – a world crown in the sport the country loves most.
Their breakthrough on badminton’s biggest stage instantly positioned them as the country’s new standard-bearers heading into the next Olympic cycle.
On August 31, Tang Jie-Ee Wei, who split up briefly in March, were crowned world champions after they disposed of China’s Jiang Zhen Bang-Wei Ya Xin 21-15, 21-14 in the mixed doubles final at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Championships at the Adidas Arena in Paris, France.
The gold is only the second by a Malaysian pair, following Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik men’s doubles success in 2022.
They were not alone at the top.
Wushu exponents shine
Malaysia’s wushu contingent stunned favourites from China and Iran to emerge with multiple world titles this year, continuing a remarkable rise over the last decade.
Tan Cheong Min and Si Shin Peng were among the standout names, powering Malaysia to one of its best ever medal hauls and forcing global commentators to finally acknowledge Malaysia as a genuine wushu powerhouse.
Tan became the first Malaysian wushu exponent to take gold at the World Games in Chengdu, China, when she won the women’s nanquan and nandao all-round competition in Chengdu.
She scored 9.746 points to edged out Taiwan’s Chao Tang Hsuan, who took silver with 9.723 points, while South Korea’s Siwoo Byun settled for bronze with 9.710 points.
At the same event, Si Shin Peng of Melaka amassed 9.756 points to win gold in the men’s qiangshu event.
He won another gold in the men’s jianshu event after also scoring 9.746 points.
Chin Ka Hou of Macau clinched silver with 9.736 points, and Hong Kong’s Chen Jinsong won bronze with 9.733 points.
Another Wushu exponent Lee Jia Rong triumphed in the women’s daoshu (broadsword) with a score of 9.726.
Following that, all three women — Tan, Lee and Pang Pui Yee struck gold in the duilian event after scoring 9.630 points. They edged out Italy with 9.623 points, while Hong Kong claimed bronze with 9.613 points.
Para-athletes win glory
Not to be outdone, Malaysia’s para-athletes also brought glory to the country.
Arguably the most emotional sporting moment came from Belgium, where Nuraini Mohamad Shukri, 30, produced a historic ride at the UCI Para-Cycling Road World Championships.
She became the first Malaysian female para-cyclist ever to win a medal at a cycling world championship, taking bronze in the WC1 time trial (11.6km) in August.
Nuraini had won two gold medals - C1 road race and time trial - at the Asian Championships in Thailand in February.
The momentum continued on home roads with Muhammad Nur Aiman Rosli’s dramatic second-place finish at the Petronas Le Tour de Langkawi, ending a five-year wait for a Malaysian rider on the podium.
His Stage Seven result reignited interest in road racing and reminded fans that Malaysian cyclists can compete with the world’s best when given the stage.
The achievement was all the sweeter for the 26-year-old cyclist, who secured the finish in his home state of Johor, in front of thousands of local supporters and his family, who were cheering at the finish line, after completing the grueling 214.9-kilometer (km) challenge from Melaka to Medini.
During the race, the Johor native launched a solo breakaway in the last 32 km before being caught by Great Britain’s Zeb Kyffin with 10 km left in the race. In the last 400 meters, Kyffin was ahead and crossed the finish line first, beating Muhammad Nur Aiman by just two seconds.
Honorable mentions:
Malaysian badminton duo Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah became the first Malaysian women’s doubles pair to win World Championship silver, securing their second title of the year at the Arctic Open, and winning the Kumamoto Masters, marking their third World Tour title and a record-breaking season, finishing as World No. 2.
In addition, the contingent achieved its highest medal tally for a games outside of Kuala Lumpur (323) after collecting 231 medals. They amassed a total of 57 gold, 57 silver and 117 bronze medals.
The contingent finished fourth overall behind hosts Thailand who won 500 medals (233 gold, 154 silver, 113 bronze), Indonesia with 333 medals (91 gold, 112 silver, 130 bronze) and Vietnam with 278 medals (87 gold, 81 silver, 110 bronze).
Malaysia were overall champions of the recent 2025 Southeast Asian (SEA) Deaf Games held in Jakarta with 25 gold, 16 silver and 11 bronze medals. The contingent made a clean sweep of 10 gold medals in the track and field events.
