PETALING JAYA: It was not the ending he was hoping for in the Asean Para Games but para shuttler Cheah Liek Hou has vowed not to feel down for long.
Liek Hou had to settle for silver in both the men's singles SU5 (upper body impairment) and doubles events.
The 37-year-old went down 19-21, 15-21 to Indonesian arch rival Dheva Anrimusthi in the singles.
Liek Hou then suffered another blow when he and Faris Azri lost 15-21, 11-21 to Dheva and Hafizh Briliansyah in the doubles.
The two-time Paralympic champion was left disappointed after missing out on his seventh gold in the singles and sixth in the doubles in the biennial Games.
"I'm not carrying any injuries but my recovery after the semi-finals yesterday (Saturday) was slower due to my age and this contributed to my defeat," lamented Liek Hou.
"I had a tough match against Suryo Nugroho in the semi-finals."
Liek Hou was dragged to three games before prevailing against Suryo.
On whether this could be his last appearance in the Games, Liek Hou said firmly," No, the next Games will be held in Malaysia in 2027 and I'm going to compete there."
For now, Liek Hou is keen to put behind his disappointment quickly and turn his attentions to the World Championships from Feb 8-14 in Manama, Bahrain.
"I'm heading for the world meet in 10 days and I will bounce back there. I will be focusing more on the singles," vowed Liek Hou.
Liek Hou is eyeing a whopping ninth world title in the singles.
Meanwhile, there was joy for Mohd Ikhwan Ramli-Noor Azwan Noorlan after the duo clinched gold in the men's doubles (WH1) wheelchair category by beating Agung Widodo-Supriadi of Indonesia 21-17, 21-10.
It was a superb turnaround from Ikhwan after he lost 17-21, 21-16, 18-21 to Thailand's Homhual Jakarin in the singles final earlier in the day.
