Paralympics: Intense pressure hampers Muhammad Fareez’s performance

From Amiril Muttaqien Meketar

PARIS: Overthinking about bringing home a medal in his debut appearance at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games affected Muhammad Fareez Anuar’s performance in the bronze medal match for the men’s singles SU5 (physical impairment) event here yesterday.

Despite leading in the first set 21-17, Muhammad Fareez could not maintain his momentum and was eventually defeated by Indonesia’s Dheva Anrimusthi, 19-21, 12-21, allowing the latter to secure the bronze medal at the Porte de La Chapelle Arena.

Muhammad Fareez admitted that he was overwhelmed by intense pressure, which hindered him from showcasing his true potential against Dheva, in contrast to his remarkable performance when he emerged as the champion of Group B, considered the ‘group of death.’

“The difference between me and Dheva was his experience, having competed in the Tokyo 2020 Games, and most importantly, I couldn’t control myself.

“I was too tensed because I had high hopes (for the bronze medal), and as a result, my gameplan just didn’t work,” he told Bernama here yesterday.
 
The 28-year-old also acknowledged that the pressure was even stronger during the semi-final match against silver medallist Suryo Nugroho, where he lost 12-21, 21-14, 6-21 on Monday.

“I couldn’t enjoy the semi-final because it was the most pressure I’ve ever felt here. At that time, I was really hoping to face Liek Hou in the final, knowing that if I made it, a medal was guaranteed,” he said.

Although saddened by not being able to bring home a medal for the country, the world number four is still grateful for the invaluable experience of competing at the highest level.

Besides resolving to strengthen his mental resilience moving forward, Muhammad Fareez is also determined to bounce back and win a medal at the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.

He began his campaign in Group B by surprising the second seed, Fang Jen-Yu of Taiwan, 21-14, 21-18, before making two remarkable comebacks to defeat Dheva 14-21, 21-19, 21-19, and Japan’s Taiyo Imai 17-21, 21-17, 21-17.

Liek Hou lived up to expectations by defending his gold medal, defeating Suryo 21-13, 21-15 in the final, thereby securing the first gold for the Malaysian contingent on the fifth day of Paris 2024. — BERNAMA