Fans of badminton will know beloved national shuttler Lee Zii Jia (李梓嘉). However, no one knows him better than best friend and brother, mens doubles player Soh Wooi Yik (苏伟译).
Zii Jia and Wooi Yik are closer than close, and it helps that they grew up together before making their way to the national team. However, we’ve rarely seen footage of their younger days. Luckily, some was released recently!
Yesterday (10th February), a video of Zii Jia and Wooi Yik playing scissors-paper-stone went viral. The duo looked much younger and seemed to be playing the game in a messy, lived-in room. The simple game was made more fun by the fact that the loser got a bonk on the head with a plastic water bottle.
It caused a lot of laughter between the two then, and still does now! Zii Jia was quick to repost it in his Instagram story. “The courage of those years wasn’t mentioned,” the 24-year-old shuttler joked. “(Wooi Yik), I was the one who (made) you stupid.” He also teasingly added, “Everyone, this was how I practiced smashing!”
Wooi Yik himself had a witty response to the whole issue. “It’s a good thing I was merciful back then,” Wooi Yik quipped. “If not your hair would have a highway (in it) now.” The mens doubles player also laughingly pointed out that Zii Jia’s hairstyle hadn’t changed since.
The two have always had each others back and are often seen teasing each other off-court. When Zii Jia faced difficulties, Wooi Yik was there. Such as when he lost out in the World Badminton Finals last year, and when Zii Jia decided to leave the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM).
It’s a friendship many have craved for and it’s wonderful to see it celebrated among the two. We hope to see more heartwarming and funny moments from the duo!
