PETALING JAYA: Shuttler Fareez Anuar will not stay down for long after missing out on a medal in his Paralympics debut in Paris.
Fareez came close to setting up a dream all-Malaysian final in the men’s singles SU5 (upper body impairment) with Cheah Liek Hou but went down in the semi-finals to Indonesia’s Suryo Nugroho.
The 28-year-old then suffered another heartbreak when he lost to Suryo’s teammate Dheva Anrimusthi in another closely fought match in the bronze medal playoff.
Although disappointed to not win a medal, Fareez has vowed to build on his encouraging outing and do better in the next Paralympics in 2028 in Los Angeles.
Fareez had pulled off impressive wins over Dheva, Taiwan’s world No. 3 Fang Jen-yu and Japan’s world No. 6 Taiyo Imai to qualify for the last four as the group winner.
“I never expected to come this far. I gained lots of experience in tournaments leading up to the Olympics and during this competition,” said Fareez.
“I hope to improve myself moving forward. The experience I gained has made me fired up to do better in the next Olympics.”
Fareez is also inspired to aim higher after watching Liek Hou defend his gold.
The latter created history by becoming the first Malaysian shuttler to win two golds in the Paralympics after also winning the title in the 2020 Tokyo Games.
“Despite my sadness of not winning a medal, Liek Hou’s win has made me happy,” said Fareez.
“I want to congratulate Liek Hou for giving Malaysia this wonderful gift.
“Next, I am looking forward to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics where I hope to succeed in my medal quest.”
Fareez also joked that he hoped Liek Hou passed on his winning aura to him by allowing him to touch his gold medal.
Fareez proved that he could be the 36-year-old Liek Hou’s successor in the future when the latter decides to hang up his racquet.
