Source:REUTERS/Ann Wang
[Saba Sports News] 26-year-old Lee Zii Jia won the bronze medal in men’s singles at the Paris Olympic badminton event, marking his first Olympic medal in his career. He is also the third Malaysian men’s singles badminton player in history to win an Olympic medal, following the legendary Lee Chong Wei, who won three Olympic silver medals, and Rashid Sidek, who won bronze at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. After winning the bronze medal, Lee Zii Jia expressed his ambition to compete for gold at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics during an interview. He also harshly criticized the Malaysian media, accusing them of writing misleading articles that put immense pressure on him. Lee Zii Jia mentioned that every morning he wakes up to various news articles about himself, often wondering why his name is in the headlines and what he might have done wrong. Despite the continuous humiliation from the Malaysian media, Lee Zii Jia has chosen to remain silent, focusing quietly on his training every day. He believes in his own strength and aims to prove his worth in major competitions. According to some fans, the conflict between Lee Zii Jia and the Malaysian media stems from this year’s Thomas Cup. The Malaysian national badminton team’s main sponsor, Yonex, is a competitor of Lee Zii Jia’s sponsor, Victor. If Lee Zii Jia wanted to represent the Malaysian team in the Thomas Cup, the Badminton Association of Malaysia would have to pay compensation to Lee Zii Jia’s team.