KUALA LUMPUR – It’s like falling in love again, and national professional singles player Lee Zii Jia wants to use that passion to drive his campaign in the Paris 2024 Olympics, which officially kicks off on Saturday.
The world number seven said he has rediscovered the joy of competing after expressing his desire to “take a break” last November.
“I’m getting the love back for badminton and it’s a good thing. We don’t have much time left for the Olympics so I hope to bring all this energy, all these vibes, as well as the positive things.
“I always have to try something new that people have never tried before. I’m just trying to calm myself down to let myself enjoy more in court, especially in the Olympics,” he said in an interview shared on the official Facebook page of the Badminton World Federation.
Zii Jia will take to the court at Porte de La Chapelle Arena in Paris on July 27 for his Group G match.
The 26-year-old athlete has been placed in a relatively easy group, which includes world number 72 Viren Nettasinghe of Sri Lanka and world number 63 Pablo Abian from Spain.
If he tops the group to qualify for the knockout stage, Zii Jia will likely meet world number nine Anthony Sinisuka Ginting of Indonesia in the last 16.
The Kedah-born Zii Jia is targeting gold at the Paris Olympics.
He also competed in Tokyo Olympics 2020 but lost to China’s Chen Long in the quarter-finals. – July 23, 2024