KUALA LUMPUR: Having successfully won 11 consecutive titles and 50 matches without defeat, Paralympic champion Cheah Liek Hou wants to continue his excellent momentum at the 11th ASEAN Para Games (APG) in Solo, Indonesia next week.
The 34-year-old SU5 (physical impairment) category badminton player, however, expects stiff competition from the home team led by his arch rival Dheva Anrimusthi at the Games scheduled from July 30 to August 6.
“The strongest opponents for me is from Indonesia, because as the hosts there is indeed an advantage there coupled with their thorough preparation to win more medals through badminton. Not only Dheva, I think they will send some other players too.
“I also expect to get a lot of pressure from their supporters. However, I hope to be able to show a good performance and continue my winning streak in securing a medal for the country,“ said Liek Hou, who has won five medals at the SEA Games.
Liek Hou, the world number one in the SU5 category, previously won gold in the singles at the 2017 KL edition and the men's doubles at the 2015 Singapore edition, in addition to two silvers and one bronze.
Meanwhile, Liek Hou's participation in the doubles event this time will only be known after the team managers' meeting next week.
“I have not yet confirmed who I want to pair with because my partner’s (Muhamad Faris Ahmad Azri) participation is still under review, I am not sure if he can play in the APG or not,“ he explained.
Liek Hou's success in singles and doubles by partnering with Muhamad Faris at the 2022 International Para Badminton Four Nations Championship in Dublin, Ireland last weekend, led to his 11th consecutive title at the international level since October 2019.
The six-time world champion in the singles and five times in the men's doubles, also created history as the first badminton gold medal winner at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics where badminton made it Paralympics debut.
The APG is set to take place again after five years, after the 2019 edition in the Philippines which was supposed to be held in early 2020 and the 2021 edition in Vietnam were canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.-Bernama
