Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia’s World No. 2 men’s singles player for the Tokyo Paralympic Games – Cheah Liek Hou, was optimistic about advancing to the final of the SU5 category (impairments in upper limbs such as a missing thumb which restricts grip and power of the stroke or loss of an arm due to amputation or nerve damage. Also, athletes may have a severe impairment to their non-playing arm which can affect balance movements, trunk rotation, and ability to serve).
He told Malaysian media that the two consecutive championships he won this year – the 2021 Dubai Para-Badminton International and the Spanish Para-Badminton International, have given him huge motivation to pursue his dream of winning a medal at the world’s biggest games.
“My confidence level is very high but I can’t promise to be able to win gold (at the Paralympics) because it’s hard to predict how my condition and level of performance would be at that time,” said Cheah.
“However, I have set a target to at least advance to the final,” added Cheah.
Cheah also said he would need to work very hard to prepare for the Paralympic Games in the remaining 91 days.
“Playing in Spain was part of the preparations for this year’s Paralympic Games. I was playing against lower-ranked players over there and I was able to assess their performance level and understood where I need to improve,” continued Cheah.
“In preparation for Tokyo, I will work on high-intensity training after the self-quarantine period ended.”
Cheah is currently coach by Malaysia’s former national men’s singles head coach Rashid Sidek.
In Spain, Cheah emerged champion after beating Japan’s World No. 5 Taiyo Imai 21-13, 21-11 in the final; while in Dubai, he saw off World No. 3 Suryo Nugroho of Indonesia 21-18, 21-16 in the semi-final before staging a remarkable comeback to beat another Indonesian – World No. 1 Dheva Anrimusthi 14-21, 22-20, 21-18.
