Tel Aviv: Not one but two awards were won by national badminton champion Cheah Liek Hou at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Gala in Hangzhou, China, last night. The award received by the two-time Paralympic Games gold medallist was the best male para player, beating his challengers Daiki Kajiwara from Japan, Kumar Nitesh from India, and Park Hae Seong from South Korea.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the 37-year-old player and his partner Mohd Fareez Anuar were also named the best male doubles pair. Cheah expressed his gratitude, stating, "It is very meaningful for me because this is the first time I won this award. I would like to thank BWF for recognising that Im one of the best athletes of 2025."
Meanwhile, Chinese player Shi Yu Qi won two awards at the ceremony, namely the best male singles player, thus qualifying him to be named the best male player in the world. The same script also featured South Korean star An Se Young, who won the best womens singles player award and was subsequently crowned the best womens player in the world.
In the mens doubles category, the South Korean pair Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae won the best mens doubles title, defeating two national pairs, Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik and Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani. In the womens doubles category, the Chinese pair Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning won, while the best mixed doubles went to the Thai pair Dechapol Puavranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran.