Cheah Liek Hou and Mohd Fareez Anuar with Nova Armada after winning the Four Nations International title
PETALING JAYA: National para shuttler Fareez Anuar refused to get carried away after a fruitful year as his mission is far from complete.
Competing in the men’s SU5 (upper body impairment) category, the 27-year-old Fareez climbed to a career high No. 7 in the world rankings after securing his biggest title of the year at the Dubai International earlier this month, which was also his last tournament of the year.
Fareez was pleased with his achievement but is determined not to remain in his comfort zone, understanding the need to break into the top six to make the cut for the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
Currently holding 36,362 points, Fareez is 2,132 points behind Japan’s world No. 6 Taiyo Imai.
Fareez acknowledged that he has to continue working hard and performing well in the upcoming World Para Championships in Pattaya, Thailand, from Feb 20-25, which serves as his final opportunity to accumulate qualification points for the Games.
“In terms of the singles event, this year has been favourable for me,” said Fareez.
“I am very grateful to win the Dubai International title because it is very important for me to qualify for the Paralympic Games.
“It was also the best achievement in the singles event that I have attained this year.
“My objective was to break into the top 10 of the world rankings to qualify for more advanced competitions, such as level 1 and I did it.
“However, I must not become overly comfortable with this accomplishment.
“There is still a long and challenging journey ahead that requires me to learn a lot.
“I hope to qualify for the Olympics together with my compatriot and doubles partner Cheah Liek Hou next year.
“There is also the World Championships in Thailand in February, which is also another important tournament as it will be the last championship to accumulate qualification points for the 2024 Paris Paralympics.”
His partner Liek Hou is almost assured of a spot in the Paralympics as he holds the top position in the world rankings.
