Pearly Tan Sets World Record For Fastest Badminton Smash (Female)

BY: Patrick Beech

Another feather in the cap for Malaysia - the Badminton Association Malaysia (BAM) recently announced that Pearly Tan now holds the Guinness World Record for the fastest smash done by a female player. 

Her smash clocked in at a speed of 428 kmh. 

This was achieved at a gymnasium at Yonex Co. Ltd. Tokyo Factory in Saitama, Japan on 14 April where Guinness World Records judges gave their seal of verification. 

India's Satwiksairaj Rankireddy’s was 565kmh, surpassing the previous record of 493kmh set in 2013 by Malaysian former world No. 1 Tan Boon Heong. 

Both smashes were faster than the top speed of a Formula One car (the record is 372.6kmh) and a tennis serve (263kmh). 

Yonex explained on its website that it measured the speed of the smashes by capturing the moments of impact using a high-speed camera. 

“The instant velocity of the shuttlecock after the impact was then calculated from the photographic recording,” it said. 

Many badminton fans took to social media to congratulate the duo on their phenomenal accomplishment.