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Zii Jia, the 'Comeback Kid': from breakdowns to bronze in Paris | Scoop
Despite past challenges and issues, Lee Zii Jia slowly picked up the pieces and made Malaysia proud by clinching the nation’s second medal in the Paris Olympics. – Bernama pic, August 6, 2024
Sports

Zii Jia, the ‘Comeback Kid’: from breakdowns to bronze in Paris

A legal dispute with his coach, a profanity-laden outburst, and an indefinite break from badminton did not stop the shuttler from clinching an Olympic medal

Main Author Image
Fabian Peter
Updated
8:00 PM MYT

 

KUALA LUMPUR – Lee Zii Jia’s journey to winning a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics is akin to pulling oneself up by one’s bootstraps. 

From a legal dispute with his former coach Indra Wijaya early last year to a profanity-laden outburst on social media following his second-round exit at the German Open in March, the 26-year-old Kedah-born athlete has faced numerous challenges since turning professional in 2022. 

Zii Jia’s decision to take an indefinite break from badminton after a series of poor performances mid-last year nearly threw his Olympic qualifying campaign into freefall.  

However, that wasn’t the case. Step by step, under the guidance of experienced coach Wong Tat Meng, Zii Jia slowly picked up the pieces. 

By June this year, the former All England champion was heading into the world’s greatest sporting event as a medal favourite.  

This season, Zii Jia has reached three World Tour tournament finals and won two (Thailand and Australian Opens).  

Today, Zii Jia even moved up a spot to number six in the BWF world rankings. 

Winning an Olympic medal was the pinnacle for the “Comeback Kid,” who has faced criticism for his unconventional decisions – including becoming the only Malaysian elite athlete to turn down the offer to be part of the Youth and Sports Ministry’s Road to Gold (RTG) programme. 

“First of all, I’m happy to be the bronze medallist, but as you all know, in Malaysia, we already have a couple of bronze and silver medallists in badminton. What we don’t have is a gold medallist. 

“I came into this Olympics with the target to win gold, but yesterday (semi-finals) I lost, and in today’s match (bronze medal playoff), it was up and down for me. Somehow I stayed in it and overcame it. 

“Although it’s a bronze medal, it means a lot to me. After I quit the national team, I’ve gone through a lot in the last three years. 

“I was even thinking of quitting badminton. That is why this bronze means so much to me,” Zii Jia said at the Olympics’ official press conference yesterday.

Zii Jia’s Paris Olympics campaign started with him cruising into the last 16. 

He then went one step further than his previous Tokyo Olympics achievement when he made easy work of France’s Toma Junior Popov to reach the quarter-final. 

In the last eight, Zii Jia upset his good friend Anders Antonsen of Denmark which gave him his first real sight of a podium finish.  

With China’s Shi Yuqi out of the competition, the path to glory seemed clear for the Malaysian shuttler. 

Unfortunately, Thailand’s reigning world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn was on a different level in the semi-finals.  

Having not dropped a single game up to that point at the Porte de La Chapelle Arena in Paris, Zii Jia bowed out in straight games 21-14, 21-15. 

Kunlavut went on to settle for silver after losing to Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen, who successfully retained his Olympic gold from three years ago. Meanwhile, Zii Jia staged one final comeback to see off India’s Lakshya Sen 13-21, 21-16, 21-11 to complete the podium roster. 

Will Zii Jia come back to win gold four years from now? Only time will tell. 

As Zii Jia himself said: “This is the Olympics, anything can happen.” – August 6, 2024 

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