Everyone knows life has its ups and downs. But, it always hits much harder when a high is immediately followed by a low. Regretfully for national shuttler Lee Zii Jia (李梓嘉), it’s come at the worst possible time.
Zii Jia was recently recognised for his badminton achievements by being featured on a billboard in New York Times Square! Unfortunately, the happy occasion was ruined shortly after by a devastating loss in the German Open, which made Zii Jia declare he was “done”.
Things had been looking rather hopeful for Zii Jia during this year’s BWF German Open. With several top players withdrawing from the event, many were certain he had a shot at victory. Zii Jia did manage to pass his first qualifier on 8th March. However, his journey abruptly ended yesterday (9th March).
During a harsh round with Taiwan shuttler Lee Chia-hao, Zii Jia lost his match by a mere two points. Fans were mostly understanding of the situation, with many leaving encouragement for the player via their socials. However, it seems Zii Jia himself was apparently at the end of his rope. Mere hours after his loss, Zii Jia posted a shocking statement on his Instagram Story. “I’m f**king done,” he said.
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Ironically enough, roughly a day before, sports brand VICTOR had just featured Zii Jia on the New York Times Square billboard. In light of their 55th anniversary, VICTOR had chosen Zii Jia and several other ambassadors for the feature. The brand also added that they hope to “promote the sport of badminton worldwide”.
Zii Jia has not posted anything else since. But, many have acknowledged that Zii Jia is struggling with the sport. Some think it’s due to him splitting from BAM, others think he’s simply not working hard enough while others blamed his decision to train without a coach.
Well, there’s no denying that sports can be stressful. Especially when you carry your country’s honour on your back. However, we do hope Zii Jia will not give up yet.
Sources: Instagram, China Press (1)(2), New Straits Times, Malay Mail
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