It has been quite a year for our national badminton team, especially for Lee Zii Jia (李梓嘉). There have been plenty of ups-and-downs with every tournament that came along. Unfortunately, the last few tournaments have been frustrating for the world No. 8.
A debilitating back injury forced Zii Jia to withdraw from Hylo Open’s finals and the Indonesia Masters. While he recovered enough to participate in the World Badminton Finals, Zii Jia later lost out to Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn. He was sorely disappointed, but fellow national player Soh Wooi Yik (苏伟译) has not allowed him to wallow in self-pity.
Fans were delighted when it was announced that Zii Jia would take part in the World Badminton Finals 2021. He certainly seemed much better after recovering as he managed to make his way to the semi-finals. Zii Jia announced his fighting spirit on Instagram on 4th December with a succinct message: “I fight for what I want.”
Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to hold up to Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn. He lost both games with a score of 18-21 and 18-21. Zii Jia was understandably disappointed, but thankfully, his fellow teammates were quick to voice their support for him.
Yesterday, Soh posted a photo of the duo on his Instagram story, saying: “You said you always got my back, just wanna say (I) got your back too, bro.” The heart warming message had many fans cooing, even more so after Zii Jia replied. “Thanks bro,” the 23-year-old said. “Let’s try again in Spain. #Last Tournament.”
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As the quote goes, “A real friend is someone who tries to pick you up when you’ve fallen and if they can’t pick you up they lay down right beside you.” Soh and Zii Jia certainly share a friendship that many would be envious of. Fans have in fact taken to calling them brothers as they’ve been upholding each other since starting their careers.
The men’s doubles player didn’t participate in the recent tournament this time. However, he definitely understands Zii Jia’s frustration thanks to his loss during the 2021 French Open.
We definitely look forward to seeing their comeback in their final tournament, the BWF World Championships 2021!
Sources: Xuan, Instagram (1)(2)
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