It’s not everyday that an athlete takes home the gold while recovering from a hamstring injury, but for badminton player, Pearly Tan, she did just that. Not only did Pearly and partner, Thinaah Muralitharan, claim the title at the most recent French Open (a popular badminton tournament in France) this past November, the dominating duo also became the first Malaysian women’s doubles to achieve such a feat since 1908.
With all their recent success, you’d never know that just two months prior, Pearly was leaving her second round at the Japan Open in a wheelchair, tears streaming down her face, due to a sustained leg injury. Even though an MRI scan confirmed she had a hamstring tear and not a more severe Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) tear, the 22-year old athlete faced a sudden setback with six weeks of recovery and rehabilitation ahead… and The French Open was just around the corner.
During the next several weeks, Pearly received intense sports physiotherapy to treat her hamstring, which included KT Tape to manage and protect her injury. As she improved, Pearly noticed the effectiveness of KT Tape on her hamstring. “I have been using KT Tape almost every day for training and during matches. It protects me from pain and also helps with my movement in the ring,” said Pearly.
While recovery was a rough road—physically and mentally—Pearly used her downtime to refocus. "Throughout my rehabilitation period, I felt a bit sad because I was only able to see my friends training hard from outside the court. But that difficult moment is also what gave me the impetus to work harder to speed up my recovery so that I could return to the court as soon as possible.”
As Pearly improved, she felt prepared to make a comeback at the French Open. "KT Tape makes me feel secure and gives me the confidence to fight all the way and perform at my best without worrying,” she said.
With her hamstring injury (mostly) behind her and a major victory under her belt, Pearly now looks back on those last few weeks and celebrates the silver lining. “I feel more grateful and appreciate every moment I am on the court now," she says.
It’s been incredible to watch Pearly and Thinaah take the badminton world by storm, from their first wins in 2019 to winning the nation’s seventh gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games— and now becoming the first Malaysian women’s pair to take home the French Open title.
We’re thrilled for you, Pearly, and wish you the best in your recovery and career!
