KUALA LUMPUR – National para men’s singles player Muhammad Fareez Anuar remains unfazed by the possibility of facing his senior, Cheah Liek Hou, in the group stage at the upcoming Paris Paralympics, which kick off on August 28.
Liek Hou, the defending gold medallist in the SU5 category (hand impairment) from the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, is expected to be a strong contender once again.
The draw for the para-badminton events is scheduled for August 24.
In the men’s SU5 singles category at Paris, only two players are seeded, with just eight competitors vying for the gold medal.
This increases the likelihood of Fareez and Liek Hou meeting early in the tournament.
Despite this, Fareez remains optimistic, emphasising that group placements offer no real advantage unless he performs at his best on match day.
At Tokyo 2020, Liek Hou’s close rivals from Indonesia, Dheva Anrimusthi and Suryo Nugroho, were drawn into Group A, with both advancing beyond the group stage. Anrimusthi eventually faced Liek Hou in the final.
“Seeding only applies to the top-ranked players, so as the third or fourth seed, I could be drawn into any group. We’ll just have to wait and see how the draw unfolds.
“If I make it past the group stage, there’s a chance I could meet Liek Hou in the semi-finals.
“When it comes to the draw, there’s nothing we can do about it; we just have to face it head-on. My focus is on bringing home a medal,” Fareez said when met at the National Sports Institute yesterday.
In addition to Liek Hou and Fareez, the Paris Paralympics SU5 category will feature Anrimusthi, Nugroho, Fang Jen-yu (Chinese Taipei), Taiyo Imai (Japan), Bartłomiej Mróz (Poland) and host nation representative Meril Loquette.
Badminton is one of Malaysia’s four key medal prospects at the Paris Paralympics, along with athletics, powerlifting and boccia. – August 15, 2024