PETALING JAYA: Winning gold at the World Championship was all that mattered to para shuttler Cheah Liek Hou – so much so that Chinese New Year plans had to take a back seat.
But after returning from Bahrain with a remarkable 16 world titles total to his name, Liek Hou can now finally celebrate the festive season with his family.
The 37-year-old captured his ninth men’s singles SU5 (upper body impairment) crown at the championships in Manama before teaming up with Faris Ahmad Azri to secure his seventh doubles title on Saturday.
Having only arrived home on Sunday, Liek Hou admitted he had little time to prepare for the celebrations, but said this year’s reunion would be extra meaningful.
“I only had a day to prepare and say my prayers before the first day of the New Year, so I think this year it’ll be just at home because I could barely plan anything,” said Liek Hou.
“I was so focused on training because I really wanted the title as I was hungry for it. “When my friends and family asked about New Year plans before I left for Bahrain, I told them I couldn’t think about it. My focus was on winning.”
Liek Hou said the hard-earned victories made this year’s celebration even more meaningful as he looked forward to some well-deserved rest after months of intense competition.
He and Faris had competed at the Asean Para Games in Thailand last month but had to settle for silver after losing to Indonesia’s Dheva Anrimusthi-Hafizh Briliansyah.
“The conditions there weren’t ideal, and I just wanted to move forward from that tournament,” said Liek Hou, who was clearly excited to spending time during his family reunion dinner.
The veteran also expressed gratitude to the Malaysian sports authorities for their unwavering support throughout his illustrious career, singling out the National Sports Council, the Badminton Association of Malaysia, the National Sports Institute, and his sponsors.
“I am thankful because they have always been there for me,” he said.
After a short break, Liek Hou will return to competition at the Spanish International in Toledo from March 25–29.
