The Most Famous

ATHLETES from Malaysia

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This page contains a list of the greatest Malaysian Athletes. The pantheon dataset contains 6,025 Athletes, 21 of which were born in Malaysia. This makes Malaysia the birth place of the 77th most number of Athletes behind Uganda, and Philippines.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Malaysian Athletes of all time. This list of famous Malaysian Athletes is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Malaysian Athletes.

Photo of Judo at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Men's 66 kg

1. Judo at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Men's 66 kg (b. )

With an HPI of 54.23, Judo at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Men's 66 kg is the most famous Malaysian Athlete.  Their biography has been translated into 16 different languages on wikipedia.

The men's 66 kg competition in judo at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo was held on 25 July 2021 at the Nippon Budokan.

Photo of Nicol David

2. Nicol David (b. 1983)

With an HPI of 40.21, Nicol David is the 2nd most famous Malaysian Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Datuk Nicol Ann David (born August 26, 1983) is a Malaysian retired professional squash player. She was the world number one for a record-breaking 108 consecutive months, ceding the ranking in September 2015 to Raneem El Weleily. She has won the World Open title a record 8 times in 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014, as well as the British Open title in 2005, 2006, 2008, 2012 and 2014. In July 2016, she reached her 151st successive month in the top 10, breaking the record in both men's and women's category. She surpassed Peter Nicol's records of 150 months. David is the first squash player to have won the World Junior title twice; in 1999 and 2001 under Richard Glanfield. She remained the only female squash player to have achieved this until Raneem El Weleily won her second World Junior Championship in 2007. David joined WISPA and turned professional in 2000 when she won her first WISPA title, after only a month on the tour. The victory came in February, when she defeated Salma Shabana in the final of the Savcor Finnish Open. On 7 June 2008, David was honoured with the Order of Merit in conjunction with the birthday of the His Majesty Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin. She was the first recipient of the award which was established on 26 June 1975. David was also invited to carry the Olympic torch for Malaysia during the build up to the Athens Olympics in 2004 and appointed as UNDP National Goodwill Ambassador for Malaysia. Considered by some the greatest women's squash player, David's other notable achievements include the Asian Squash Championship, which she won a record nine times (in 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2015). She also held a 13-month, 51-match winning streak, from March 2006 until April 2007, when she finally lost to Natalie Grinham in the final of the 2007 Seoul Open. David has also obtained the WSA Player of the Year on seven occasions, 2005–2010 and 2012. In a poll conducted in 2018 by the Professional Squash Association, David was voted by fans as the greatest squash player of all time in the women's category. In February 2019, Nicol announced her retirement plan, and decided to retire at the end of the 2018/2019 PSA season in June. In another poll conducted by the World Games in 2021, David was crowned as the World Games Greatest Athlete of All Time with receiving a total of 318,943 votes and being the only Malaysian and Asian athlete among 24 candidates.

Photo of Pandelela Rinong

3. Pandelela Rinong (b. 1993)

With an HPI of 39.07, Pandelela Rinong is the 3rd most famous Malaysian Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Dato Pandelela Rinong anak Pamg (born 2 March 1993) is a Malaysian diver. She has won two Olympic medals and seven World Championships medals. Pandelela represented Malaysia at the 2008 Summer Olympics where she finished 27th in 10m platform. She won the gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. She was chosen to be the flagbearer of Malaysia at the 2012 Summer Olympics. She went on to win the bronze medal in the 10m platform, becoming the first Malaysian female athlete to win an Olympic medal, as well as the first in any sport other than badminton. At the 2016 Summer Olympics, she won the silver medal in the 10m synchronized platform with Cheong Jun Hoong.

Photo of Nur Dhabitah Sabri

4. Nur Dhabitah Sabri (b. 1999)

With an HPI of 33.97, Nur Dhabitah Sabri is the 4th most famous Malaysian Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 13 different languages.

Nur Dhabitah binti Sabri (born 12 July 1999) is a Malaysian diver. She is the youngest Malaysian diver to champion two senior international competitions.

Photo of Leong Mun Yee

5. Leong Mun Yee (b. 1984)

With an HPI of 33.58, Leong Mun Yee is the 5th most famous Malaysian Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 12 different languages.

Datuk Leong Mun Yee (Chinese: 梁敏喻; pinyin: Liáng Mǐnyù, born 4 December 1984) is a retired Malaysian diver. She competed at the 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympics with the best result of seventh place in the 10 m synchronised platform event in 2012. Her appearance at the 2008 Summer Olympics made her the first Malaysian diver to compete at three Olympics. The bronze medal that she and Pandelela Rinong won at the 2009 World Championships was the first World Championship medal for Malaysia.

Photo of Cheong Jun Hoong

6. Cheong Jun Hoong (b. 1990)

With an HPI of 32.71, Cheong Jun Hoong is the 6th most famous Malaysian Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Cheong Jun Hoong (Chinese: 張俊虹; pinyin: Zhāng Jùnhóng) (born 16 April 1990) is a retired Malaysian diver. She won a silver medal in the synchronised 10m platform event with Pandelela Rinong at the 2016 Summer Olympics. At the 2017 World Aquatics Championships, she became Malaysia's first diving world champion after winning the 10m platform event.

Photo of Khairul Anuar Mohamad

7. Khairul Anuar Mohamad (b. 1991)

With an HPI of 31.77, Khairul Anuar Mohamad is the 7th most famous Malaysian Athlete.  His biography has been translated into 14 different languages.

Khairul Anuar bin Mohamad (born 22 September 1991) is a Malaysian professional archer. He began to compete for the national team in 2011.

Photo of Ng Yan Yee

8. Ng Yan Yee (b. 1993)

With an HPI of 29.25, Ng Yan Yee is the 8th most famous Malaysian Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 13 different languages.

Wendy Ng Yan Yee (born 11 July 1993) is a Malaysian diver.

Photo of Cui Xiaotong

9. Cui Xiaotong (b. 1994)

With an HPI of 28.18, Cui Xiaotong is the 9th most famous Malaysian Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 13 different languages.

Cui Xiaotong (Chinese: 崔晓桐; born November 21, 1994) is a Chinese rower. She won a medal at the 2019 World Rowing Championships. On July 28, 2021, she and three teammates won the gold medal in women's quadruple sculls at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo with 6:05.13, setting the new WB. It was the second time China won the Olympic gold medal in this event.

Photo of Failuna Abdi Matanga

10. Failuna Abdi Matanga (b. 1992)

With an HPI of 25.54, Failuna Abdi Matanga is the 10th most famous Malaysian Athlete.  Her biography has been translated into 9 different languages.

Failuna Abdi Matanga (born 28 October 1992) is a Tanzanian long-distance runner. She competed in the women's 10,000 metres at the 2017 World Championships in Athletics. In 2019, she competed in the senior women's race at the 2019 IAAF World Cross Country Championships held in Aarhus, Denmark. She finished in 16th place. In June 2021, she qualified to represent Tanzania at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

People

Pantheon has 21 people classified as Malaysian athletes born between 1982 and 2000. Of these 21, 21 (100.00%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Malaysian athletes include Judo at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Men's 66 kg, Nicol David, and Pandelela Rinong. As of April 2024, 18 new Malaysian athletes have been added to Pantheon including Judo at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Men's 66 kg, Nur Dhabitah Sabri, and Leong Mun Yee.

Living Malaysian Athletes

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Newly Added Malaysian Athletes (2024)

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