Here Are 18 M’sian Athletes Who Will Be Heading to the Paris Olympics 2024

As reported by NST back in March, only less than 20 Malaysian athletes are expected to represent the nation at the Paris Olympics from 26 July to 11 August. It will be the smallest contingent the country has sent to the Olympics in recent decades. Previously, 32 athletes represented Malaysia at Tokyo 2020, 32 at Rio 2016, and 29 at London 2012. The smallest contingent ever sent was during Seoul 1988, with nine athletes.

Here are some facts to know about the upcoming Olympics:

Cyclist Dato’ Mohd Azizulhasni Awang will be making his fifth appearance
Men’s badminton doubles pair Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik who won bronze medals at the 2020 Olympics will be competing
Malaysian diving talents Pandelela Rinong and Nur Dhabitah Sabri will unfortunately not be present at the Olympics this year
Russian and Belarusian athletes will be banned from the Olympic Games opening ceremony due to the ongoing war

If you’re already looking forward to the games, do keep an eye out for the 18 athletes who have already secured their spots:

Image Credit: @johnnywg92, @rhodict

Johnathan Wong Guanjie (Shooting: Men’s 10m air pistol)

Johnathan will be making his second appearance in the Olympics following his debut at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Fun fact: he also studies Aerospace engineering at Universiti Putra Malaysia. Talk about being sporty and smart!

Born: August 23, 1992 State: Melaka

Bertrand Rhodict Lises (Aquatics: Men’s 10m Platform)

Bertrand competes in various categories, including the 1m springboard, 3m springboard, 10m platform, mixed synchronised diving 3m, and synchronised diving 3m. The young athlete initially tried out swimming when he was four, but he quickly found that he preferred diving instead.

Born: May 28, 2005 State: Sarawak

Image Credit: stadiumastro.com, World Archery, Bernama

Ariana Nur Dania (Archery: Women’s Individual)

The Mechanical Engineering student will be making her Olympic debut. She has participated in several international tournaments, including the World Cup in Shanghai, Yecheon, South Korea, and Antalya, Turkey.

Age: 19 years old State: N/A

Mohamad Aniq Kasdan (Weightlifting: Men’s – 61kg)

Better known as Aniq, the young lad won the silver medal in the Clean & Jerk men's 55 kg event at the 2021 World Weightlifting Championships held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. He also created history by being the first Malaysian weightlifter to win a medal in the World Weightlifting Championships.

Born: June 16, 2002 State: Johor

Image Credit: Astro Awani, @jinweigoh

Lee Zii Jia (Badminton: Men’s Individual)

Once hailed as Lee Chong Wei’s heir, the Kedahan player needs no introduction as he has been at the centre of numerous (sometimes controversial) headlines. He has won numerous medals, including gold at the 2019 SEA Games and his first BWF Super 1000 title at the 2021 All England Open. Zii Jia was also the 2022 men's singles Asian champion, winning the title at the 2022 Badminton Asia Championships. He made his Olympic debut in 2020 but sadly didn’t return home with a medal.

Born: March 29, 1998 State: Alor Setar

Goh Jin Wei (Badminton: Women’s Individual)

Interestingly, Jin Wei actually announced her retirement back in September 2021 but returned after signing a three-year contract with the KL Racquet Club as an independent player. She won the 2015 and 2018 BWF World Junior Championships and the girls' singles title at the 2018 Youth Olympics. At a senior level, she won the women's singles title at the 2017 SEA Games.

Born: January 30, 2000 State: Bukit Mertajam, Penang

Image Credit: Bernama

Aaron Chia & Soh Wooi Yik (Badminton: Men’s Doubles)

The famous badminton duo has carved Malaysian badminton history together throughout the years, including becoming the first-ever world badminton champions from Malaysia after winning the men's doubles title at the 2022 World Championships. Wooi Yik actually comes from a family of badminton players, with his father being former Malaysian player Soh Goon Chup, while his maternal uncle Soo Beng Kiang is a former Olympian who won the 1992 Thomas Cup together with Cheah Soon Kit.

Wooi Yik | Born: February 17, 1998, State: Kuala Lumpur Aaron | Born: February 24, 1997, State: Batu Berendam, Melaka

Pearly Tan & Thinaah Muralitharan (Badminton: Women’s Doubles)

You’ve probably heard about how Pearly smashed a Guinness World Record with her 438km/h badminton hit. Pearly and her partner are a formidable duo, claiming the French Open title back in 2022 and becoming the first-ever Malaysian womens double to achieve this feat. Fun fact: Thinaah is fluent in four languages, including Mandarin!

Pearly | Born: March 14, 2000, State: Kedah Thinaah | Born: January 3, 1998, State: Klang, Selangor

Image Credit: bam.org.my, @azizulhasniawang

Chen Tang Jie & Toh Ee Wei (Badminton: Mixed Doubles)

As of November 2023, they’ve only been playing together for a year, but they already entered the mixed doubles top 10 of the BWF world ranking back in September 2023. They sometimes even sport matching dyed hair on the court. How cute! FYI, Tang Jie used to partner with Pearly for the Mixed Doubles event, too.

Ee Wei | Born: September 18, 2000, State: Malacca Tang Jie | Born: January 5, 1998, State: Ipoh, Perak

Dato’ Azizulhasni Awang (Cycling: Men’s sprint & keirin)

When it comes to Malaysian cyclists, he’s the one who immediately comes to mind. Nicknamed "The Pocket Rocketman" due to his small stature, he is the first and the only Malaysian cyclist to win a medal at the Summer Olympics. He majored in sports science (Bachelor of Sport Movement) at Victoria University in Melbourne, Australia, and he became the first non-Australian athlete to receive a Blue Award from the university in 2015. He’s already 36 years old this year, so it’ll probably be his last shot at clinching gold at the Olympics!

Born: January 5, 1988 State: Kuala Dungun, Terengganu

Image Credit: Bernama

Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom (Cycling: Men’s Sprint & Keirin)

Back in 2021, he won the Australian Track National Championship in the keirin event and actually defeated Azizulhasni. His first Olympic games was back in Tokyo 2020 where he placed No.16 in the Men’s Keirin.

Born: November 26, 1995 State: Muar, Johor

Nurul Izzah Izzati Mohd Azri (Cycling: Women’s sprint & keirin)

Standing at only 1.52m, Izzah has earned herself the moniker ‘The Pocket Rocket’ and has been likened to the female version of Azizulhasni. In February 2024, she won two gold medals at the Asian Track Cycling Championships in New Delhi in the women’s elite 500m time trial event.

Born: September 11, 2003 State: Sungai Petani, Kedah

Image Credit: @khairulnizam_afendy, Bernama

Khairulnizam Afendy (Sailing: Men’s ILCA 7)

This won’t be his first rodeo as his first Olympic games were way back in London 2012. His highest ranking so far at the Olympics was no.28 in the Sailing Laser Men’s category. He first started sailing in 1999 and his best sporting achievement is winning the silver medal at the Sea Games 2014.

Born: May 27, 1993 State: Kedah

Nur Shazrin Mohamad (Sailing: Women’s ICLA 6)

Better known as Eyin, she has also competed at the 2016 and 2020 Olympics. She recently sustained an injury to her right hand during a competition in March. Still, the National Sports Institute of Malaysia is optimistic that she can make a full recovery when the Games start in July. Fingers crossed!

Born: February 27, 1998 State: Pasir Gudang, Johor

Image Credit: Bernama

Nur Aisyah Mohamad Zubir (Cycling: Women’s Road Race)

Already a prominent road race cyclist in our country, Nur Aisyah Mohamad Zubir is set to become the first woman cyclist from Malaysia to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics. The last time Malaysian cyclists featured in the road racing programme of the Olympics was during the 2012 London Olympics when Muhammad Adiq Hussainie Othman and Amir Mustafa competed in the road racing events.

Born: October 4, 1997 State: Terengganu

Final Take

FYI, the last time the national contingent came home empty-handed from the Olympics was during Athens 2004. Another sad fact is that no Malaysian athlete has ever won a gold medal, making Malaysia the country that has won the most Olympic medals without earning gold. Let’s hope we’ll get gold this time *sobs*.

Featured Image Credit: Luca Dugaro on Unsplash, @olympicmas