PETALING JAYA: Cheah Liek Hou (pic) suffered his first defeat at the Spanish Para International in Vitoria on Sunday after 14 consecutive titles but he is taking it as wake-up call ahead of the Paris Olympics next year.
Liek Hou, the reigning Paralympic and world champion in the SU5 men’s singles, was beaten 21-11, 17-21, 21-17 by his Indonesian nemesis Dheva Anrimusthi in the final.
Although the 34-year-old Malaysian knows that it is almost impossible to keep winning, he said the result in the Level 2 event in Toledo showed that his rivals were preparing well to thwart his title defence in Paris.
“I will take this as a lesson and wake-up call because the qualifying period for the Paris Paralympics has just started and everyone is ready to fight for ‘Road to Paris’. I can’t underestimate any of them,” said Liek Hou.
“I also need to get adapted to the cold weather in Spain. It is very important because the weather in Paris may be similar.
“I have not played in freezing condition for a long time but it was a good experience and I’ve learnt a lot.”
Liek Hou will be playing in the Spanish Para International Level 1 tournament in Toledo this week where the top 12 players in the SU5 category will compete which will provide a bigger test for him.
However, Liek Hou has vowed to overcome his Vitoria setback in Toledo.
“I will be playing all top 12-ranked players in Toledo. So, I hope I can perform better in this Level 1 competition and bounce back with a victory,” added Liek Hou.
The temperature in Toledo was around -3°C and Liek Hou feels his experience of playing in Vitoria in similar condition will be handy this week.
His coach Nova Armada, who is accompanying the player to the Spain tournaments, said it is too early to press the panic button after Liek Hou’s defeat.
“No player can keep on winning all the time. His form wasn’t good but he will bounce back,” said Nova.
“The main goal is the Asia Para Games in Hangzhou (Oct 22-28) and 2024 Paris Paralympics.
“He is serious about his objective and focused on coming back stronger this week where I expect him to reach the final and it will be good if he can also win the title.”
Liek Hou should not face any problems qualifying for Paris Paralympics as he is currently the World no. 1 and top eight players will qualify for the major Games.
