Winning combo: Fareez Anuar (left) and Cheah Liek Hou (right) posing with their coach Nova Armada.
PETALING JAYA: National para shuttler Fareez Anuar is fired up to push his limits at the Bahrain Para Badminton International in Manama from Dec 11-15.
Competing in the men’s singles SU5 (upper body impairment), this will be the final tournament of the year for Fareez and he is determined to close out the season on a positive note.
Having fallen in the quarter-finals last year to India’s Chirag Baretha, the world No. 5 Fareez is ready for redemption and aims to go one step further to maintain his ranking.
“My goal there is to reach at least the last four to maintain my world rankings,” said Fareez.
“Even if I don’t make it that far, my points will not be deducted it’s just that I’ll earn a smaller number of points.
“But I am determined to give my best in Bahrain to improve on my past performance and results there.”
This will be Fareez’s first tournament since his emotional Paralympic debut, where he narrowly missed the bronze medal after losing to Indonesia’s Dheva Anrimusthi in the playoff.
Despite the heartbreak, Fareez deserved a pat in his shoulder as he displayed resilience, stunning higher-ranked players – such as Taiwan’s world No. 2 Fang Jen-yu, Dheva of India (No. 3) and Indonesian Suryo Nughoro (No. 4) – in the early rounds to book his spot in the semi-finals.
However, he could not replicate his success in the semis, bowing out to Suryo.
Though he returned home without a medal, Fareez sees the experience as priceless.
“I did not expect to reach that level,” said Fareez.
“Thanks to the victories I’ve achieved in tournaments, the skills I’ve gained, and the training with the National Sports Council, I’ve come this far.
“The most important lesson I’ve learned from the Paralympics is the significance of mental preparation once the competition begins.
“Beyond the tournament itself, the atmosphere was also a completely new experience for me.
“Staying in the athletes’ village and interacting with fellow competitors was different and required us to adapt.
“Competing in the Paralympics has been an incredibly rewarding experience for me.”
