Sukma: A 'golden tip' from national badminton champion Cheah Liek Hou became the magic potion for home player Nik Muhammad Hashraff Muazzam Mohd Hilmi to clinch the gold medal in the men's singles SU5 (physical disability) event at the Selangor 2026 Para Malaysia Games (Para SUKMA) today.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, playing in the same category dominated by the two-time Paralympic gold medallist, Nik Muhammad Hashraff Muazzam, 19, revealed that he was fortunate to have the opportunity to regularly undergo training sessions with his idol under the National Sports Council (MSN) programme. The national reserve athlete said Liek Hou helped him a lot to perfect his playing style, especially in terms of emotional control and choosing the right time to launch smashes.
"I once asked for tips and he wasn't arrogant. He gave me tips because he saw that I had a game that could go far and he told me, you have a smash and you can use that smash in the next game. What he meant was don't over smash. So organise first, control the court first, then use the smash, that's my key," he said when met by Bernama after the match.
The tip of controlling the court proved effective when he recovered from an opening set defeat before defeating Sabah representative, Gerald H. Simbaku VII in a fierce three-set battle 21-23, 21-10, 21-10 at the Selangor State Youth and Sports Complex.
Commenting on his recovery, Nik Muhammad Hashraff Muazzam admitted that his own mistakes at the beginning of the game almost cost him his life before he regained control of the match's mentality. "...from the first set, it was probably due to the wind on the court, then the second issue, it was maybe because I was too hasty. And I made a lot of mistakes myself until those mistakes bothered me mentally until I pulled myself to the rubber set," said the youngest of four siblings who revealed that he has had a physical disability in his hands since birth.
The victory thus contributed to his brilliant personal achievement at the biennial games to make up for the disappointment of the previous two editions after being stranded in the round of 16 in Kuala Lumpur and only winning bronze in Sarawak. Previously, Nik Muhammad Hashraff Muazzam had shown great potential when he won two bronze medals in the SU5 singles and mixed doubles events at the Asian Youth Para Games (AYPG) in Dubai last year. He is now formulating a strategy to be selected to represent Malaysia at the ASEAN Para Games in Malaysia next year.