Liek Hou was too excited to sleep after historic gold medal win

KUALA LUMPUR: Feeling proud and happy after emerging as the first badminton gold medalist in the Tokyo Paralympics, national player Cheah Liek Hou admitted he could not sleep a wink last night.

The 33-year-old player said he received congratulatory messages from many people and felt special for garnering the gold in the men's singles SU5 (physical impairment) category yesterday.

"I was so excited with the victory that I could not go to sleep at all last night.

"Glad to know so many were supportive of me, I hope this is a brand new start for me. The medal is dedicated to all Malaysians, thank you," he said in a video clip today.

The former para badminton world champion created history by becoming the first gold medalist for badminton in Paralympic Games after defeating world number one, Dheva Anrimusthi of Indonesia 21-17, 21-15 in the final at Yoyogi National Stadium, Tokyo.

Besides that, he also attributed his success to his coach, Datuk Rashid Sidek, family, former coaches and teammates.

Badminton was competed for the first time at the Tokyo Paralympic Games which was held from Aug 24 and will come to a close officially tonight.

-- BERNAMA