[Watch] Malaysian Para Badminton Player Named World’s Best After Five Nominations
Cheah Liek Hou won two major awards at the BWF Gala in Hangzhou – Para Men’s Player of the Year 2025 and Para Doubles Team of the Year 2025 with Mohd Fareez Anuar – after five consecutive nominations.
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National para badminton singles champion Cheah Liek Hou received two prestigious awards at the recent Badminton World Federation (BWF) Gala in Hangzhou, China, providing a major boost ahead of several key tournaments next year.
At the ceremony, Cheah was named Para Men’s Player of the Year 2025 and also received the Para Doubles Team of the Year 2025 award alongside Mohd Fareez Anuar.
The 38-year-old said the recognition is motivation to work even harder, especially with the Asian Para Games in Nagoya, Japan and the World Championships in Manama, Bahrain, coming up next year.
This award motivates me to aim for more next year. I hope it will give me the spirit to keep fighting and not give up easily, even though I’m not young anymore. I also hope to maintain my consistency in para badminton.
The achievement holds special meaning for Cheah, who has been nominated for five consecutive years.
I’ve been waiting for this award for a long time, and this is the first time I’ve received it from BWF. Throughout my career, this is among the biggest recognitions I’ve ever achieved, and it’s finally mine.
During the 2025 Para World Tour season, Cheah excelled by winning five singles titles and seven men’s doubles titles, with four of them claimed alongside Fareez.
Payment Dispute Resolved After Minister’s Intervention
Cheah’s double triumph at the BWF Awards comes after a dispute with the Malaysian Paralympic Council (MPM) over allegations that the sports body had cheated him, which was eventually settled.
In September, he publicly expressed his disappointment towards MPM for not receiving his promised RM60,000 cash incentive for his achievement at the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
He stated, “It feels like they scammed me” on social media.
Cheah faced the threat of suspension over the dispute, but the then-Minister of Youth and Sports, Hannah Yeoh, intervened.
Yeoh stated that Cheah had not broken any rules and was merely seeking the promised reward – MPM later agreed to pay Cheah.
Rising Above Erb’s Palsy To Badminton Greatness
The 37-year-old was born with Erb’s Palsy, a condition that affects the strength and stability of his right hand, impacting his muscle control.
Despite his challenges, he began playing badminton at age nine and has achieved significant success, including two gold medals at the Paralympics.
The Kuala Lumpur boy is a two-time Paralympic gold medalist and a 14-time World champion, making significant contributions to para-badminton.
His story is an inspiration, showing that passion and determination can overcome physical limitations.
READ MORE: Malaysia’s Paralympic Gold Medallist Faces Ban Over RM60,000 Prize Money Row
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