Malaysia’s illusive Olympic gold hunt in badminton now rests on the shoulder of ‘back-to-form’ Lee Zii Jia

 

AFTER having become a ‘first-round knock-out’ casualty on numerous occasions as he experienced a dip/swing in form ever since clinching the 2021 All-England title, ‘villain-turn-hero’ Lee Zii Jia is seemingly Malaysia’s only bet left to realise the fruits of the Youth and Sports Ministry’s Road to Gold programme in badminton.

After having gunned down Dane Anders Antonsen in straight sets of 21-17, 21-15 in the quarter-finals of the Paris 2024 Olympics, the top national men’s single shuttler are two matches away to achieve what compatriot ad former world’s No. 1 Lee Chong Wei failed to achieve in his star-studded career – to win a gold in the Olympics.

Recall that Chong Wei who has been inducted to BWF Badminton Hall of Fame on May 2, 2023 is a triple silver medallist at the Olympic Games in 2008, 2012 and 2016, thus making him the most successful Malaysian Olympian in history.

Whether the Kedah-born 26-year-old who has been hailed as Chong Wei’s successor but has thus far yet to live up to such high expectations chooses Paris to make amends or otherwise, the seventh seeded Zii Jia will first have to eliminate reigning world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand in the semi-finals tomorrow (Aug 4).

Kunlavut surprisingly had an easy against top seed and world’s No. 1 Shi Yu Qi of China by winning 21-12, 21-10 in his quarter-final match. He has last defeated Zii Jia at the 2024 Indonesia Open on June 7 by 21-16, 21-17.

Kunlavut Vitidsarn (Image credit: Getty Images)

If Zii Jia can get pass the 23-yerar-old Thai who was as also three-times World Junior champion (2017, 2018 and 2019), he will either have India’s Lakshya Sen or world’s No. 2 Viktor Axelsen of Denmark waiting for him at the final.

Lakshya had to endure a rubber game before emerging triumphant against Taiwan’s Chou Tien Chen19-21, 21-15, 21-12 while Axelsen had it easy against Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew 21-9, 21-17.

After the gallant runs of both top national women’s and men’s doubles pair of Pearly Tan-Thinaah Muralitharan and Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik ended in the hands of their world’s No. 1 Chinese opponents of Chen Qing Chen-Jia Yi Fan and Liang Wei Keng-Wang Chang respectively, Zii Jia would have to put all his previous setbacks behind him to become Malaysia’s first Olympics’ gold medallist.

For the record, Pearly-Thinaah lost 12-21, 21-18, 15-21 after a 78-minute intense battle against reigning silver medalist Qing Chen-Yi Fan while Aaron-Wooi Yik went down 19-21, 21-15, 17-21 after a nerve-racking marathon semi-final battle with Wei Keng-Wang Chang.

Aaron-Wooi Yik would next play defending champions Lee Yang-Wang Chi Lin of Taiwan while Pearly-Thinaah will play Japan’s Shida/Nami Matsuyama in a bronze medal play-off. – Focus Malaysia