On 7th April, the Kedah state government agreed to prepare Lee Zii Jia (李梓嘉) an incentive worth RM25,000 after beating Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen in Birmingham for the All England men’s singles final on 21st March.
Moreover, the 23-year-old athlete also defeated Japanese world champion Kento Momota (桃田賢斗). According to Datuk Misbun Sidek, the world will soon recognise Zii Jia as a fierce contender and he’ll soon become the target of other badminton players in future tournaments.
Menteri Besar of Kedah, Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor, stated that the incentive would be given to the badminton player when he returns to Kedah.
Right now, Zii Jia is still busy training and preparing for the Tokyo Olympics, as Muhammad Sanusi told reporters after chairing the state Exco meeting yesterday, “We don’t want to disrupt Zii Jia’s tight training schedule because his main target is to win Malaysia’s first-ever Olympics gold. We have prepared RM25,000, to be given to him at a ceremony which we have planned.”
Moreover, Muhammad Sanusi also announced that the state government will send a RM10,000 incentive to Kedah-born women’s doubles player, Pearly Tan.
On 7th March, the 21-year-old partnered with Thinaah Muralitharan in the Swiss Open champions and claimed victory against the world number 14 pair from Bulgaria, Gabriela Stoeva and Stefani Stoeva, in just 43 minutes. This also marks their first BWF World Tour Super 300 title.
The incentives prepared for Lee Zii Jia and Pearly Tan are to appreciate the results of their efforts. Now, Kedah and Malaysian locals are certainly proud of their achievements and for making our nation more appreciated on an international scale.
Malaysia Boleh indeed!
Sources: Bernama, Malay Mail.
