National shuttler Lee Zii Jia (李梓嘉) made a triumphing comeback as he won against his opponent India’s world No. 22 Lakshya Sen during the bronze medal playoff match last night (Monday, 5th August) after losing to Thailand’s World champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn over the weekend at the Paris 2024 Olympics. He said that the medal is now a testament to his hard work and struggle as a professional player.
Overwhelmed by his victory, the 26-year-old couldn’t hold back his tears when speaking with reporters after the match. In the interview, he reflected on his journey and the immense pressure he has endured over the past few years.
“I came this far. Every morning when I wake up, I see so much news about myself. I kept wondering what I did wrong. Whatever the media wrote about me, I told myself that I’d just keep silent because I knew I would prove it to them,” he said. The Kedah-born star added that despite the constant harsh criticism he faced, he was still determined to do his absolute best to make his country proud.
“Although this was not the medal I wanted to win, it’s definitely a start for me. I’ll come back stronger and aim for Gold for the Los Angeles Olympic Games later,” the young athlete stated while still trying to keep his composure. Malaysians all congratulated Zii Jia on his win but many also pointed out something disappointing about his trip to the Olympics. It was previously reported that the young sportsman’s team would cover the travel expenses themselves after not being able to obtain the additional accreditation cards for the Paris Olympics.
After being reminded of this news, netizens criticised the Olympic Council of Malaysia and the Youth and Sports Ministry for not financially supporting their athletes. They also called out the president Olympic Council of Malaysia Tan Sri Norza Zakaria on his alleged hypocrisy as he was able to bring his wife and kids to attend the Olympic games in Paris but for some reason could not fund the local athletes.
Some tagged Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh in hopes that they’d do something about this concerning issue. The Prime Minister and Hannah Yeoh have yet to address netizens’ concerns about the funding for Malaysian athletes’ but they did congratulate Lee Zii Jia on his bronze medal win.
Watch the interview below:
@astrogempak Lee Zii Jia menitiskan air mata ketika ditemu bual oleh wartawan Astro Arena. You did very well and the best Lee Zii Jia 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻 #SokongMalaysia #OlimpikParis2024
