Liek Hou eyes double delight
NATIONAL para shuttler Cheah Liek Hou is just two matches away from retaining both his titles at the BWF Para Badminton World Championships.
Yesterday, the 29-year-old reached the finals of the men’s singles SU5 (upper body impairment) and the doubles event with partner Hairol Fozi Saaba.
In the singles quarter-finals, Liek Hou, who also won gold at the Kuala Lumpur Asean Para Games (KL2017) in September, saw off Singapore’s Tay Wei Ming 21-8, 21-18.
He chalked up another comfortable 21-14, 21-8 win over Japan’s Taiyo Imai in the last four, to set up a final clash with Indonesia’s Suryo Nugroho today.
In the doubles last eight, Liek Hou-Hairol had to dig deep before carving out a 21-13, 22-24, 2113 win over Thailand’s Watcharaphon Chok Uthaikul-Pricha Somsiri.
The Malaysian duo then scored a 21-13, 21-16 win over South Korea’s Kim Gi Yeon-Shin Kyung Hwan, en route to reaching the final where they will face the mixed pairing of Indonesia’s Suryo and Singapore’s Wei Ming.
Meanwhile, in the men’s singles SS6 (short stature), 2015 champion Didin Taresoh failed in his bid to defend his title when he crashed out in the semi-finals.
After winning his quarter-final match 21-10, 21-17 against India’s Raja Magotra, the Malaysian second seed lost 21-15, 21-12 to England’s Jack Shephard in the semifinals. Shephard will play another Englishman Krysten Coombs for the title.
It was also the end of the road for Bakri Omar in the SL4 category (impairment in one or both limbs) and Madzlan Saibon in the WH2 category (impairment in both limbs).
Bakri, who beat Thailand’s Chawarat Kitichokwattana 21-14, 21-17 in the quarter-finals, fell 2118, 21-15 to India’s Tarun Tarun in the semi-finals.
Madzlan also went down the same way, winning his first match 21-13, 21-7 against Israel’s Amir Levi, before losing 21-17, 18-21, 2112 to top seed Kim Jungjun of South Korea in the last four. Fabian Peter