Norza urges para squad to beef up ahead of 2020 Paralympics
THE fact that Malaysia won only one gold and one silver at the Para Badminton World Championships is an indication that the other nations have stepped up their efforts for the sport’s debut at the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo.
Yesterday, Cheah Liek Hou retained his men’s singles SU5 (upper body impairment) title, when he saw off Indonesia’s Suryo Nugroho 19-21, 21-15, 21-18 in the final in Ulsan, South Korea.
Liek Hou’s bid to defend his doubles title, however, fell short when he and his partner Hairol Fozi Saaba lost 18-21, 2321, 21-18 to Suryo-Tay Wei Ming (Singapore).
BAM president Datuk Seri Norza Zakaria said: “It is still a good achievement despite the fact that we fell short in our bid to better our previous mark (three gold medals).
“I believe this is a sign which proves that other countries are catching up, especially as we gear up for the 2020 Paralympics.
“Back then, we used to dominate, but we cannot grow complacent. Playing alongside shuttlers from India and Indonesia is never going to be easy.
“Having said that, I must congratulate Liek Hou for successfully defending his men’s singles crown. It was a pity that he could not repeat his feat in the doubles final.”
Two years ago in Stoke Mandeville, England, Malaysia returned home with three gold medals through Liek Hou, Liek Hou-Hairol and Didin Taresoh (men’s singles SS6 — short stature). Ferzalfie Fauzi