Paris: Malaysia’s Paralympics badminton star, Cheah Liek Hou, lived up to expectations by securing Malaysia’s first gold medal at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games on Monday.
The victory came after the 36-year-old player defeated Indonesia’s Suryo Nugroho in the final SU5 category (physical impairment) at the Porte de La Chapelle Arena.
Highlights of Cheah Liek Hou vs. Suryo Nugroho in the 2024 Paris Paralympics final:
Cheah, an eight-time world champion, demonstrated his status by comfortably defeating Nugroho with a score of 21-13, 21-15 in 41 minutes.
This win also marks Cheah’s successful defense of the gold medal he won at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics three years ago.
As the tournament’s top seed, Cheah completely dominated the first set, putting his opponent under pressure and forcing numerous errors to win 21-13.
Although Nugroho attempted to push the match into a deciding set by putting up a fight in the second set, Cheah maintained his focus to secure a 21-15 victory.
Winning the gold this time will see Cheah Liek Hou receive a reward of RM1 million under the Sports Victory Prize Scheme.
With the victory in the final, Cheah also successfully revenged against Nugroho, who had eliminated his teammate Muhammad Fareez Anuar in the semi-finals.
