Raring to go: Lee Zii Jia and his coach Wong Tat Meng in Paris.
PETALING JAYA: Shuttler Lee Zii Jia was at the lowest ebb of his career exactly 13 months ago and the Malaysian feared that he will not qualify for the Olympic Games.
But on Monday, he arrived in Paris, as one of the darkhorses of the Games in the men’s singles.
“Last year was my toughest moment in my career as my ranking dropped to almost No. 17 from being No. 2. At that time, I was quite confused and felt that I may not qualify for the Olympics,” said Zii Jia to the Badminton World Federation.
“I had a lot of problems in my game play and confidence. After I lost in the first round of the Indonesian Open in 2023, I said I have to quit for a while as I wanted to get back my love for badminton.
“A lot happened and when I look back now, it was a tough challenge and I overcame it and here I am.
“After I qualified for the Olympics, I was quite relieved but I also told myself that it’s not easy to qualify for two.
“At this moment, I’m enjoying myself on court.”
Independent shuttler Zii Jia’s continuous defeats in the preliminary rounds had been notoriously consistent and the final blow was a first-round defeat to Lakshya Sen of India in the first round of the 2023 Indonesian Open in June where he decided to quit the sport temporarily.
Such was the confused state of his mind that he needed a break from the game and waited eagerly for the arrival of his new coach Wong Tat Meng.
There has been transformation in his game since then and he went on to win the Thailand Masters, the Australian Open and finished as the Malaysian Masters runner-up just before the Games.
Zii Jia was always known for his attacking flair but he is an open book for opponents who can counter his smashes effectively and Tat Meng was patient in adding more weapons into the player’s arsenal.
This meant that Zii Jia would have to shift from being an all-out attacking player and become an all-rounder, a trade that has served reigning Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen of Denmark so well for years.
“Tat Meng tried to add something, which was to make me more like an all-round player,” said Zii Jia.
“Before this, I was only an attacking player, not many rallies and defensive shots from me. I’m more comfortable now and just not smashing all the way.
“I train hard but I’m also enjoying the moment.
‘‘I’m bringing this positive energy and vibes to Paris.’’
Zii Jia is out to achieve what no Malaysian has done before, which is to win the elusive gold medal at the Olympics.
With Zii Jia’s imposing presence, his potential rivals like top seed Shi Yuqi of China, Anthony Ginting of Indonesia, Anders Antonsen of Denmark and big man Axelsen will be on guard to tackle the re-energised Malaysian warrior at the Adidas Arena from July 27-Aug 5.
