In this biography
Quick facts
- Born
- 27 April 1988
- Birthplace
- George Town, Penang, Malaysia
- Country
- Malaysia
- Nationality
- Malaysian
- Known for
- Rio 2016 mixed-doubles silver with Goh Liu Ying and the 2012 Japan Open title
- Long-term partner
- Goh Liu Ying
- Asian title
- 2010 mixed-doubles champion
- Superseries breakthrough
- Japan Open, 2012
- Olympic medal
- Rio 2016 mixed-doubles silver
- Commonwealth team golds
- Delhi 2010 and Glasgow 2014
- Final competition
- Malaysia Masters, 22 May 2024
Why this life matters
Chan’s career follows Malaysia’s mixed-doubles rise across the Asian, Commonwealth and Olympic stages, then his transition from long-term partnership to independent competition and academy work.
Timeline
Key moments
Born in Penang
Born on 27 April in George Town.
Won Asian and Commonwealth titles
Won the Asian mixed-doubles title with Goh and Commonwealth mixed-team gold with Malaysia.
Olympic debut and Japan Open victory
Competed in London, then won his first Superseries title alongside Goh.
Added a second Commonwealth team gold
Won mixed-team gold at Glasgow, a different event from individual mixed doubles.
Won Olympic silver with Goh
Reached the Rio mixed-doubles final on 17 August.
Won two Commonwealth medals
Took mixed-team silver and mixed-doubles bronze at Gold Coast.
Third Olympics and a partnership split
Competed at the postponed Tokyo Games before the long-term pairing ended later that year.
Reunited for Goh’s farewell
Played the Malaysia Open with Goh on 11 January, before continuing his own career.
Retired from competitive badminton
Played his last match with Cheah Yee See at the Malaysia Masters on 22 May.
From Penang to a place in the national system
Chan Peng Soon was born on 27 April 1988 in George Town, Penang. At his retirement, he recalled an uncertain start in Malaysia’s national badminton system: six months without a salary while attending trials and waiting to be accepted at the age of 18.
That recollection gives context to a career often reduced to one Olympic final. Chan went on to become a mixed-doubles specialist, with the partnership he built alongside Goh Liu Ying bringing sustained international visibility. The competitive record includes Asian and Commonwealth success as well as three Olympic appearances.
An Asian title and the Japan Open breakthrough
Chan and Goh won the Asian mixed-doubles championship in 2010. Their first Olympics followed at London 2012, where they finished in the group stage. Later that year, the partnership reached a different milestone in Japan: a first Superseries title.
On 23 September 2012, they defeated Muhammad Rijal and Liliyana Natsir 21–12, 21–19 in the Japan Open final. Yonex’s contemporary report describes the Malaysians maintaining their concentration against the experienced Indonesian pair. Rijal was Natsir’s partner in that match, an important detail when tracing the opponents Chan would face again at Rio.
Rio silver and a wider record of team medals
The Rio Olympic final on 17 August 2016 became Chan’s best-known achievement. With Goh, he won silver after losing 14–21, 12–21 to Tontowi Ahmad and Natsir. Their earlier group-stage defeat against the same Indonesians had a different score, 15–21, 11–21. Reaching the final secured the medal that their previous Olympic appearance had not produced.
His Commonwealth record also needs both team and individual results. Malaysia won mixed-team gold with Chan in 2010 and 2014. At Gold Coast 2018 he took mixed-team silver and mixed-doubles bronze. Those four medals came from different events and editions. His third Olympics, Tokyo 2020 held in 2021, ended in the group stage rather than a second Olympic podium.
A long partnership ends without ending his career
In December 2021, the Olympic Council of Asia reported Malaysia’s national Olympic council thanking Chan and Goh after their partnership ended. The account described a 13-year association and attributed the decision to physical wear, age and pandemic uncertainty. The split concerned their regular playing partnership; it was not Chan’s retirement from badminton.
A later BAM statement recorded Chan, Cheah Yee See and Peck Yen Wei opting to compete independently. Chan thanked the association for the opportunity to return to its national setup and for time spent with younger players and coaches. Moving outside BAM changed his training and competitive arrangements, while leaving him able to represent Malaysia.
Two different farewells and the next generation
Chan reunited with Goh at the Malaysia Open on 11 January 2023 for her last competitive match. They lost to Rehan Naufal Kusharjanto and Lisa Ayu Kusumawati in the opening round. He continued playing afterwards, so the occasion should not be used as the retirement date for both partners.
His own final match came with Cheah Yee See at the Malaysia Masters on 22 May 2024. They lost 10–21, 6–21 to Cheng Xing and Li Qian, then announced their retirement. Chan said he would focus on his badminton academy and consider coaching offers. These were his stated next steps, not confirmation of a later BAM coaching appointment.
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions about Chan Peng Soon
- Who was Chan Peng Soon’s Olympic partner?
- Goh Liu Ying partnered him at London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, which took place in 2021. Their Olympic medal was Rio mixed-doubles silver.
- Did Chan Peng Soon win an Olympic gold medal?
- No. He won silver at Rio 2016. Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir beat Chan and Goh in the final.
- When did Chan Peng Soon retire?
- He retired on 22 May 2024 after his Malaysia Masters first-round match with Cheah Yee See. His January 2023 reunion with Goh was her farewell, not his.
- Were Chan Peng Soon’s Commonwealth golds individual titles?
- No. His 2010 and 2014 golds were mixed-team medals with Malaysia. Chan played with Lai Pei Jing in the 2014 team final. At Gold Coast 2018 he won team silver and individual mixed-doubles bronze.
Keep exploring
Lives connected to this story
- Cheah Yee See
Read his Russian Open and KL Masters partner’s own career, including her Sudirman Cup and women’s doubles results.
- Goh Liu Ying
Read the separate career of his long-term Olympic partner, including her injury comeback and earlier retirement.
- Tontowi Ahmad
Follow one of the Indonesian gold medallists who faced Chan in the Rio final.
- Liliyana Natsir
Trace an opponent he met with different partners at the 2012 Japan Open and 2016 Olympics.
- Peck Yen Wei
Read about another mixed-doubles player named alongside Chan in BAM’s independent-player departure statement.
Sources and further reading
Explore the evidence
These references support the biography and offer further reading. Official records, first-person accounts and independent reporting provide different perspectives; image records document attribution and licensing.
- 1. Bernama · contemporary final report via Malay MailGlasgow 2014: Malaysia retains mixed-team gold, with Chan and Lai in the final
The contemporary Bernama report identifies Chan and Lai Pei Jing in the Glasgow final. Their individual rubber was lost, but Malaysia won the team tie 3–1; this supports team gold, not an individual mixed-doubles title.
- 2. OlympediaChan Peng Soon: birth, Olympic results and Commonwealth medals
- 3. Bernama · original retirement interview22 May 2024: Peng Soon and Yee See bid farewell to competitive badminton
The May 2024 interview records an early-career recollection and future plans, not a confirmed later BAM coaching appointment.
- 4. Bernama · original ceremony reportGoh Liu Ying’s career achievements and January 2023 farewell
Used for the 2010 Asian title. Its weekday for the January 2023 match conflicts with Badminton Asia’s dated match report; the latter anchors the reunion to 11 January.
- 5. Yonex · contemporary tournament report23 September 2012: Japan Open final and first Superseries title
Yonex was the tournament sponsor and reports on its athletes. The final’s Indonesian partnership was Rijal–Natsir, not Ahmad–Natsir.
- 6. Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI)17 August 2016: Rio mixed-doubles final and earlier group result
- 7. OlympediaTokyo 2020 mixed-doubles results, contested in 2021
- 8. Olympic Council of AsiaDecember 2021: Malaysia NOC thanks the mixed-doubles partnership after its split
The December 2021 report describes the end of a playing partnership, not Chan’s retirement. Its No. 9 ranking is historical and is not presented as current.
- 9. Badminton Association of MalaysiaChan Peng Soon, Cheah Yee See and Peck Yen Wei opt for independent careers
BAM’s article records a move to independent competition and a previous return to the national setup. Its visible day/month header lacks a year; this biography does not infer an exact departure date from that header.
- 10. Badminton Asia11 January 2023: Goh’s last match with Chan at the Malaysia Open
- 11. Wikimedia Commons / Pierre-Yves Beaudouin2013 French Open portrait crop and CC BY-SA 4.0 rights record
The photograph was made on 24 October 2013; Esp1986 created the Commons subject crop on 17 February 2021. The complete 895 × 970 cropped-file frame is retained here and converted to WebP without another crop.
