11 hours ago
Liek Hou battles through pain for two Asian Para badminton titles
KUALA LUMPUR: Cheah Liek Hou bagged a brilliant double at the Asian Para Championships once again but not without a major scare in the men's singles final against long-time rival Dheva Anrimusthi in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, on Sunday.
Liek Hou, a two-time Paralympic champion, held his nerve to edge the Indonesian 21-19, 15-21, 21-19 in a tense SU5 final, surviving a late fightback that saw Dheva save four match points before the Malaysian finally sealed it.
Despite struggling with a right heel injury, Liek Hou later returned to the court to partner Fareez Anuar and clinch the men's doubles title with a 21-14, 21-18 win over India's Hardik Makkar-Ruthick Ragupathi.
It marked his 10th career title at the Asian Championships — a quadrennial event last held in 2016 and cancelled in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
"I picked up the heel injury last year and have been getting treatment since, but I haven't stopped competing," said Liek Hou.
"It gets painful after tough tournaments like this, but I'm coping well. Dheva also isn't playing many tournaments right now — we're both focused on the Asian Para Games in Nagoya next year."
The latest triumph continues an impressive run for Liek Hou, who also completed the double at the Dubai and Spanish Para Championships earlier this year.
He also paid tribute to his main sponsor, the Akisama Group, and its managing director Tan Sri Bernard Chang Koon Wah, for their continued support.
"Their backing has allowed me to compete regularly on the world para circuit," he added.
Malaysia had more reason to celebrate as Amin Burhanuddin captured his first major international title, claiming the men's singles SL4 crown with a 23-21, 21-15 win over India's Surya Kant Yadav.
Amin has been training under Liek Hou's coach, Nova Armada, for the past seven months, and his progress hasn't gone unnoticed.
"It was great to see Liek Hou push through the pain barrier to win two titles," said Nova.
"But I'm also very impressed with how Amin performed. He's already 31, but I believe he has what it takes to win a medal at the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics before he retires."
Liek Hou and several of the national para shuttlers will now turn their attention to the British and Irish Para Internationals in Cardiff next month.
RESULTS
Finals
(Malaysians unless stated)
Men's singles SU5: Cheah Liek Hou bt Dheva Anrimusthi (Ina) 21-19, 15-21, 21-18.
Doubles: Cheah Liek Hou-Fareez Anuar bt Hardik Makkar-Ruthick Ragupathi (Ind) 21-14, 21-18.
Men's singles SL4: Amin Burhanuddin bt Surya Kant Yadav (Ind) 23-21, 21-15.
Men's singles wheelchair: Qu Zi Mo (Chn) bt Ikhwan Ramli 21-9, 21-16.
