KUALA LUMPUR: Shuttler Cheah Liek Hou etched his name into the history books when he completed the double at the Para Badminton World Championships in Pattaya on Sunday.
Not only did the 36-year-old successfully defend his men's singles SU5 (upper impairment) crown, but together with his new doubles partner Fareez Anuar, Liek Hou re-captured the doubles crown he last won back in 2015.
Liek Hou, also the reigning Paralympics gold medallist, won a record eighth singles crown when he saw off his Indonesian arch-rival Dheva Anrimusthi 21-15, 16-21, 21-15 in the men's singles final.
Just a couple of hours after that, Liek Hou-Fareez defeated India's Chirag Baretha-Raj Kumar 21-17, 21-18 in the men's doubles final.
Liek Hou has now equalled former squash star Nicol David in winning eight world titles and is also the most successful SU5 shuttler with 14 world crowns (singles and doubles).
Speaking to the Badminton World Federation (BWF), Liek Hou said he has no intention of slowing down.
He hopes to continue breaking records and would like to see future stars trying to match his milestones.
"I enjoy breaking these records. It's a personal target that gives me a great sense of fulfilment.
"It's also an honour for me to achieve these successes for Malaysia.
"Hopefully, it will inspire the younger generation to try and match my records," said Liek Hou, who has now beaten Dheva eight times in 15 meetings.
The last time both players met, the Indonesian edged Liek Hou to bag the Asian Para Games gold in Hangzhou last year.
Meanwhile, Fareez said he didn't mind doing most of the court covering in the doubles final because Liek Hou had just played in the singles final.
"I'm very happy because this is my first World Championships, and I've won a title.
"I had no problem doing most of the running and covering the court because Liek Hou had played earlier," added Fareez.
In 2015, Liek Hou won the doubles title with his then-partner Hairol Fozi Saaba.
Liek Hou's previous singles victories were in 2005, 2007, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2022, while in the doubles event, he won in 2005, 2007, 2011, 2013 and 2015.
In the men's doubles WH1-WH2 final, Malaysia's Noor Azwan Noorlan-Ikhwan Ramli settled for the silver after going down 21-10, 21-13 to China's Mai Jian Peng-Qu Zi Mo.
