NATIONAL men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia marked a significant milestone in his badminton career by securing a bronze medal in his second Olympic appearance.
He overcame a challenging match against India’s world No. 22 Lakshya Sen, rallying from a game down to win 13-21, 21-16, 21-11 in the third-place playoff at Adidas Arena in Port de la Chapelle in Paris yesterday.
According to The Star, the 26-year-old expressed that the podium finish was a result of his relentless effort and challenges as a professional.
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“I did not want to give up easily (after losing the first game),” said an emotional Zii Jia after the match. I went through a lot of challenges since becoming an independent player (in 2022) and wanted to prove myself,” he was quoted as saying.
“I’m very proud of myself. This is not the medal that I wanted to win. I aimed to win the gold.”
He told the English daily: “This might just be bronze but it’s a good start for me. I will come back stronger for the 2028 Los Angeles Games and get the gold.”
He had a difficult challenge, as he had never previously defeated Lakshya in individual competition, with his only win against him coming during the 2022 Thomas Cup Finals.
Zii Jia has also lost four times to the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games champion.
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Despite losing the first game, he persisted and secured a win against the Indian in 72 minutes, earning Malaysia its second medal in the Paris Games, following the men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik who also clinched bronze.
After his semifinal defeat to Kunlavut Vitidsarn, Zii Jia admitted to feeling uncertain about the bronze match.
“To be honest, after I lost the match yesterday (against Kunlavut Vitidsarn), I was not sure if I wanted this medal because my goal is only the gold medal,” he said.
“How much I wanted to prove myself because the medal that Malaysia have been missing is only gold – we have bronze and a lot of silvers.”
“But after I lost, it felt like I had been slapped by Kunlavut from a very good dream. I was blank. I could not eat well, sleep well after that.”
“This morning I did not eat much as well. I was worried about my condition and true enough, I was out of control in the first game. Lakshya was in very good form as well and in a good position in the second game but somehow I overcame it and won the game. It’s an unbelievable journey for me.”
Zii Jia joins the ranks of Datuk Rashid Sidek and Datuk Lee Chong Wei as the third Malaysian to win an Olympic medal in men’s singles badminton.
