Tokyo Paralympics champion Cheah Liek Hou captured his eighth title at the Brazil Para Badminton International with a 21-17, 21-17 win over Frenchman Meril Loquette.

Cheah’s victory saw him not only defend his Standing Upper 5 (SU5, upper body impairments) title but incredibly extend his unbeaten run in the category to 41 matches.

However, despite the victory, he admitted he was not at his best in Brazil.

“I am not entirely satisfied with the level of my performance despite the win. I hope to be outstanding in the upcoming tournaments,” he said.

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Cheah's unbeaten run started since the Denmark Para Badminton International back in 2019, where he lost to Indonesian rival Dheva Anrimushti.

Being under the guidance of former national men’s singles coach Rashid Sidek meant a huge upturn in his game, where he stood a class above the rest in evidence of his Tokyo Paralympics triumph.

In that showcase, Cheah was excellent throughout and beat Anrimushti in straight games to win the country’s first-ever gold in badminton Paralympics.

The Brazil International was Cheah’s first tournament since his gold-medal winning feat, and the para-shuttler had taken to social media to say he was travelling with Rashid at their own expense.

This came after a last-minute change of plans to play in Brazil, which resulted in a potential sponsor pulling out at the last minute leaving Cheah to bear the expenses.

The para-shuttler’s posting also drew flak from the public which led to Sports Minister Faizal Azumu having to clarify the situation.

Despite the setback, the last-minute change of plans to play in Brazil looked to have paid off handsomely for Cheah.

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