KUALA LUMPUR: Here’s the adventure of Tania Teoh – a former Malaysian shuttler who was born in Ipoh, grew up in Sibu, trained intensively in badminton in Melaka, volunteered at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and now runs a business in Copenhagen.
And she had two important people to thank for her journey – her dad, Teoh Hock Lim, 71, and mother, Chan Sau Ping, 70.
But it was no walk in the park for Tania, as she had to face multiple injuries and those who doubted her decisions.
Tania’s love for badminton was thanks to Hock Lim, who played badminton during his younger days. Sau Ping, meanwhile, loved bowling.
Tania and her elder brother, Marcus, would accompany their father to the badminton courts, while the youngest sibling, Sonia, followed their mother to the bowling alley.
“I came from a sporting family. We all played sports, all of us in the family,” Tania, 42, told Twentytwo13 during an interview on Sept 29.
Born in Ipoh, Tania and her family moved to Sibu after her father, who then worked with a local bank, was transferred to the Sarawak town.
She started taking badminton seriously at the age of seven, but when she began beating the boys and girls in her age group and beyond, she harboured the dream of playing in the Olympics.
Although still hunting for the elusive gold medal, Malaysia has enjoyed podium finishes in badminton at most of the Olympics since competing as Malaya in 1956.
“My senior turned coach, Ling New Fung, told me if I wanted to fulfil my dream, I had to get out of Sibu. At the age of 13, I left for Melaka to join a talent programme, where I studied and trained in badminton.”
Tania worked her way up and earned a spot in women’s doubles and mixed doubles training alongside the national elite athletes. She was coached by Datuk Cheah Soon Kit and Rosman Razak and trained alongside badminton stars such as Wong Pei Tty, Chin Ee Hui and Koo Kien Keat, among others.
However, a series of injuries, including surgery on both her knees, floored her dreams of making it big in the sport. Despite undergoing rehabilitation, things were no longer the same for Tania, and she called it quits in 2004.
“But what many people didn’t know during my playing days was that I told myself that I wanted to be a sports doctor or a physiotherapist,” she said.
Tania did not turn her back on badminton, going on to represent Universiti Malaya (UM) at the Asian University Games while studying sports science.
Tania admitted facing several hurdles when she wanted to pursue her studies in sports science.
“For starters, my parents were not too happy at that point in time because I got several scholarships to read law or study Information Technology. But I chose sports science instead.
“My secondary school teacher told me I was wasting my education because I got aggregate 9 for SPM, while someone else mentioned that studying sports science didn’t require brains.”
But soon Tania’s parents saw her potential and supported her journey.
“A coursemate of mine in UM knew of my dream to be in the Olympics and told me to try and become a volunteer for the Beijing Games. Some 200 Malaysians applied, and I was among the 10 who got to be a volunteer. That, in a way, fulfilled my dream of going to the Olympics.”
She admitted there were many key lessons learnt during her short stint in Beijing. They included the organisational aspects of the Games and managing visitors’ expectations.
Upon earning her degree at UM, Tania went on to do her master’s in Sports Administration and Technology at the International Academy of Sport Science and Technology in Lausanne, Switzerland. She then worked in administrative roles for several sports bodies, including the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
“Cupid brought me to Denmark,” said Tania as she laughed.
“While working with BWF, I met my then boyfriend, Brian Agerbak. He is Danish. Things got serious, and we got married and I moved to Denmark.”
Today, Tania and Brian live in Greve, located some 21km south-west of Copenhagen. Together, they have two daughters – Tia, 15, and Bea, 12. Both girls play badminton.
Her journey to entrepreneurship quickly took place. As her work schedule became hectic with a young family, Tania decided to set something up on her own. In 2022, she started Tania Teoh, a sports consultancy company.
“The main idea then was to be an agent for badminton players. It wasn’t easy, as there were many rejections, but eventually I got some yeses.
“But my business then evolved into coaching local children,” said Tania, who has coaching certification from BWF (Level 3) and the Badminton Europe Confederation.
“I was also unwell … burnt out and suffered anxiety due to my earlier jobs. I then started appreciating Bowen therapy and eventually became a therapist.”
Bowen therapy is a type of myofascial release and is typically done to relieve pain and increase mobility.
“Business has been going well. My main business is from Bowen therapy, actually. In a way, I’ve also fulfilled the other dream of mine, to be a therapist,” she added.
Tania admitted there’s a lot of hard work and sacrifice that goes on behind the scenes, but added that it was equally important to follow one’s gut and heart to fulfil dreams.
“I will never forget what a family member once told me: Can you survive by doing sports? Well, I not only survived but I have thrived,” she said.
“Good things never come easy. Even buying a lottery ticket takes effort, and there are no guarantees,” she said in jest.
“But if you really want something deep down, you will get it.”
Tania has a message for student athletes and their parents.
“To student athletes, if you know deep down you want to do something or achieve something, trust your gut and work for it. It’s always the fear of the unknown that pulls you back. But you need to work for it. That has always been my guide. I’ve made the biggest decisions of my life by following my gut and heart.
“To dear parents, please listen to your children. I am very fortunate that my parents listened to what I wanted.
“There are many achievements in sports beyond winning gold medals. In fact, losing is the one that teaches children more than winning … how to come back from injuries, how to overcome a loss. The stuff sports throw at your child cannot be learnt within four walls,” she added.
Image: Tania Teoh flanked by Chen Tang Jie (right) and Toh Ee Wei after the duo won the mixed doubles event at the 2025 BWF World Championships in Paris. Image courtesy of Tania.