Cheah Liek Hou (; born 8 March 1988) is a
Malaysian
Malaysian may refer to:
* Something from or related to Malaysia, a country in Southeast Asia
* Malaysian Malay, a dialect of Malay language spoken mainly in Malaysia
* Malaysian people, people who are identified with the country of Malaysia regard ...
para-badminton
Para-badminton is a variant of badminton for athletes with a range of physical disabilities. Badminton World Federation (BWF) is the main governing body for para-badminton starting from June 2011. The sport was governed by Para Badminton World Fed ...
player. He is an 11-time winner (both Class SU5 singles and doubles events) of the
BWF Para-Badminton World Championships
The Para-Badminton World Championships is an individual bi-annual event organized by the BWF. The highest ranked para-badminton players compete in six Sport Classes in five categories. The championships was organized under Para Badminton World Fe ...
. He won the gold medal in the
men's singles SU5 event of the 2020 Summer Paralympics, making him the first Malaysian athlete to win a medal in para-badminton. He is also the first-ever Paralympic champion in para-badminton.
Early life
Cheah was born with
Erb's palsy
Erb's palsy is a paralysis of the arm caused by injury to the upper group of the arm's main nerves, specifically the severing of the upper trunk C5–C6 nerves. These form part of the brachial plexus, comprising the ventral rami of spinal nerves ...
, which causes his right hand to have less strength and stability. He took up badminton when he was nine. He later competed against able-bodied badminton players and joined the able-bodied squad when he was 12 years old. He completed his pre-university education in
Bukit Jalil Sports School
The Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) ( ms, Sekolah Sukan Bukit Jalil, SSBJ) is the first sports school in Malaysia. The school is located at the National Sports Complex compound in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur.
Sekolah Sukan Bukit Jalil was opene ...
. He competed in both able-bodied and para-badminton tournaments before exclusively competing in the latter upon obtaining his degree.
Personal life
Cheah is married to Dewi Febriana Tan. He has a degree in corporate communications awarded by
Universiti Putra Malaysia
University of Putra Malaysia ( Malay: ''Universiti Putra Malaysia''), abbreviated as UPM, is a Malaysian public research university located in Serdang, Selangor. Formerly it was named Universiti Pertanian Malaysia (Agricultural University of ...
.
Achievements
Paralympic Games
''Men's singles SU5''
World Championships
''Men's singles''
''Men's doubles''
Asian Para Games
''Men's singles''
''Men's doubles''
Asian Championships
''Men's singles''
''Men's doubles''
ASEAN Para Games
''Men's singles''
''Men's doubles''
''Mixed doubles''
BWF Para Badminton World Circuit (11 titles, 1 runner-up)
The BWF Para Badminton World Circuit – Grade 2, Level 1, 2 and 3 tournaments has been sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation from 2022.
''Men's singles''
''Men's doubles''
International tournaments (35 titles, 6 runners-up)
''Men's singles''
''Men's doubles''
References
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cheah, Liek Hou
1988 births
Living people
Badminton players from Kuala Lumpur
Malaysian sportspeople of Chinese descent
Paralympic badminton players for Malaysia
Badminton players at the 2020 Summer Paralympics
Medalists at the 2020 Summer Paralympics
Paralympic gold medalists for Malaysia
Malaysian male badminton players
Paralympic medalists in badminton
Malaysian para-badminton players
University of Putra Malaysia alumni