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Things got ‘weird’ between me and Chong Wei, says Zii Jia | Scoop
Independent shuttler Lee Zii Jia says he has gotten better over the years at handling the pressure of being compared to the badminton legend that is Lee Chong Wei. – Alif Omar/Scoop pic, January 17, 2024
Sports

Things got ‘weird’ between me and Chong Wei, says Zii Jia

World number 10 shuttler says comparisons with Lee Chong Wei are unavoidable

Main Author Image
Faizal Salim
Updated
6:08 PM MYT

 

KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s men’s singles sensation Lee Zii Jia opened up about the evolving dynamics between him and Datuk Lee Chong Wei, describing it as “weird” since he transitioned into an independent player. 

The 25-year-old, who notched a decisive victory against Brian Yang of Canada in the India Open’s first round today, acknowledged the constant comparisons to the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Hall of Famer.

“To be honest, after I became a professional player I think the position has become kind of weird between me and him. As you can see there is a lot of news circulating.

“In the meantime, I have my team and an experienced coach. They are quite helpful and I just have to keep believing in what I’m doing,” he told the BWF after the match.

Chong Wei holds the record for holding the world number one spot for the longest time, a total of 349 weeks, including a 199-week streak from August 21, 2008, to June 14, 2012.

He has also won a total of 69 titles, including an all-time best of 47 BWF World Superseries titles – earning the moniker ‘King of Superseries’.

Adding to that he has three Olympic silver medals, which he earned at the 2008 Beijing, 2012 London and 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games.

The Penangite is generally considered to be one of the best to play the game alongside long-time rival Lin Dan of China. 

Meanwhile, Zii Jia added that as the years have passed, he has gotten better at handling the pressure of being likened to a badminton great like Chong Wei.

“This is something I cannot avoid because as a Malaysian number one people will always compare (me) with Chong Wei.

“I can’t get rid of that, this is something that I have to face for the rest of my career.

“Year by year, I think I’m getting more mature and experienced in facing this, though I’m still working on finding the best solution,” added the world number 10, who climbed one spot from last week’s world ranking.

Zii Jia emphasised his commitment to the sport, bouncing back after a challenging period marked by a break from badminton following a series of disappointing results, including a first-round loss to Lakshya Sen in the Indonesian Open last year.

“Last year was one of the toughest times in my career. Everyone has a limit. 

“When you reach that limit, you need to disconnect and rest so you can find that passion again.

“So during that break, I just spent a lot of time resting and sleeping, that is all I did,” said the Kedah-born shuttler.

In tomorrow’s second round of the India Open, Zii Jia will face world number five Jonatan Christie of Indonesia. – January 17, 2024

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