Kuala Lumpur: The 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games men’s singles badminton (SU5 category) gold medalist Cheah Liek Hou and the last batch of the Malaysian Paralympics delegation have returned to Malaysia on Monday afternoon.
He held a brief press conference upon his arrival at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport admitted that winning the Paralympic gold in Tokyo gave him a unique feeling and it was a “dream come true”.
“It’s a very special feeling because I have created the history for both my career and also for Malaysia. I became the first Paralympic badminton gold medalist in history,” said Cheah.
The 33-year-old said his experience helped him deal with pressure in the final against World No. 1 Dheva Anrimusthi.
“I believed he was facing a tremendous amount of pressure in the final,” added Cheah.
When asked if he would participate in the Paris Olympics, Cheah said:
“I look forward to consideration for participating in the 2024 Paralympic Games, but I cannot promise anything right now,” explained Cheah.
In addition to the RM 1.1 million (USD $265,348) payout in which he would receive from the Shakam and FWD Takaful Berhad, he would also receive RM 5,000 (USD $1,206) a month for life.
Cheah then went on to thank everyone that has helped him along the way towards his Paralympic gold.
He also told Malaysian media, The Star, that he owed his success to his wife, his mother, and his sister.
“My wife and I have been married for two years. Like my mother, she is an Indonesian Chinese from Medan. I met her when my family went to Medan to celebrate the Chinese New Year.”
“I would like to thank her for coming into my life. I have not seen her for more than 4 months due to preparations for the Paralympic Games. She has been very understanding and always supporting me. She has also been taking care of my 70-year-old mother while I was away. I would like to dedicate this gold medal to them and my sister. These three ladies have given me a lot of strength.”
