Didin Taresoh
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah’s top Para shuttler Didin Taresoh has qualified for the Paralympic Games in Tokyo, Japan in August.
The former world Para badminton champion will compete in the Men’s Singles Short Stature Sport Class (SS 6).
The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) confirmed Didin securing a spot in the Tokyo Paralympics in a statement posted in its Facebook page on Wednesday.
Didin’s teammate in the national Paralympics team Cheah Liak Hou (Men’s Singles Standing Upper 5) is the other Para shuttler to have qualified for the Paralympics.
For Didin, who is a teacher by profession, the confirmation is another milestone reached in his highly successful career inside the court.
The Maths teacher first came to prominence when he was crowned the men’s singles world champion following his victory in the BWF Para-Badminton Championship 2015 in England.
Didin had made his intention clear upon arrival from the world championship that his main aim was to try and qualify for the Tokyo Paralympics, which he has now fulfilled.
Among other major titles that the 46-year-old shuttler had won were at the Asian Para Championships in 2016 and the Asean Para Games in 2017.
The BWF World Para Badminton seventh ranked shuttler has also consistently made it into the quarterfinals and beyond in other badminton championships, including winning a runner-up medal at the Third Dubai Para Badminton International 2021 in April.
Didin’s most recent tournament outing was at the Spanish Para Badminton International last month, which is also the last qualifying tournament for the Tokyo Paralympics.
However, he bowed out in the quarterfinal after a tight battle against Isaak Dalglish 18-21, 19-21.
Meanwhile, BAM president Datuk Seri Mohamad Narza Zakaria was also quoted in the same statement that eight national elite shuttlers have qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in July.
They are 2021 All-England champion Lee Zii Jia (men’s singles), Sonia Cheah (women’s singles), Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik (men’s doubles), Chow Mei Kuan-Lee Meng Yean (women’s doubles) and Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying (mixed doubles).
“On behalf of BAM, I would like to express my sincere congratulations to all the ten shuttlers for securing their spots in the Tokyo Olympics and the Tokyo Paralympic Games respectively.
“I wish all the best and every success to our Malaysian contingent,” he was quoted in the statement.
The Tokyo Olympics and the Tokyo Paralympics were supposed to take place last year but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the international multi-sport events have since been rescheduled from July 23 to August 8 and August 25 to September 5 respectively.