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