Three years ago, Cheah made history by winning the country’s first gold medal in para-badminton when he defeated Indonesia’s Dheva Anrimusthi in the SU5 (standing upper class) category.
His success sparked the idea for the movie ‘Gold’, a production of Astro Shaw that made its premiere last week and was attended by Cheah and other high-profile individuals in the local sports industry that included Youth & Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh.
Cheah was pleased with how his biopic was made.
“The movie talks about the journey that I have been through. It serves as an inspiration for those who are perhaps stuck in their careers. Even I was in a similar situation before this.
“Before para-badminton was included in the Paralympics, I was working in sales. After it was announced that para-badminton would be in, I made a comeback and started training full-time. The most important message I would like to pass along is that we Malaysians must be united.
“For example, Rashid (Sidek) is a Malay coach helping a Chinese athlete chase his dream. Eventhough Rashid did not win an Olympic gold, he helped his student to achieve gold at the Paralympics,” Cheah told StadiumAstro.
Jack Tan played Cheah in the movie, and the actor had to learn how to play with his left hand like the 36-year-old to ensure all details were spot on.
Cheah said Tan portrayed his role well.
“Jack is a professional actor, and I admire his dedication to playing me on-screen. He spent all his time coming to watch me train. He analyzed me thoroughly, including my character and style of play.
“Not only that, he also did his homework by asking others about me. I can say he put a lot of effort to mimic me,” added Cheah.
Gold, which also features prominent actor Farid Kamil who plays Rashid, is set to open in cinemas nationwide this July 11.
This movie will no doubt inspire Cheah as he prepares to defend his Paralympic gold medal at the upcoming Paris Paralympics (Aug 28-Sept 8).
