Lee Zii Jia wins first Olympic medal
Malaysia’s medal tally for badminton at the Paris 2024 Olympics didn’t end on 4th August 2024, after men’s doubles Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik defended their bronze. Lee Zii Jia prevailed to secure our country’s second Olympic medal and his first-ever Olympic medal in the bronze playoff for men’s singles on 5th August.
He also becomes only the third Malaysian shuttler to win an Olympic medal in men’s singles, after the legendary Rashid Sidek and Lee Chong Wei.
A three-set match to win bronze for Malaysia
On 5th August, world no. 7 Lee Zii Jia stepped out onto the court to take on India’s Lakshya Sen, ranked world no. 19, in a gripping match for the bronze medal in badminton men’s singles at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Image credit: Bernama via website
The first set saw the Malaysian shuttler calmly taking on the India shuttler, putting up a fight but ultimately conceding to his opponent in a 13-21 match.
Lee made a comeback in the second set, picking up his pace with impressive smashes and rallies against Sen. He managed to turn the game around mid-match, to lead and close the game on a stunning 21-16 win.
The nail-biting rubber set saw Lee confidently leading the game up to the final match point of 21-11, securing his first-ever Olympic medal to the cheers of euphoric Malaysian supporters at the Porte de La Chapelle Arena.
Screenshot from RTM
The win makes Lee the third Malaysian to secure a medal in the men’s singles event at the Olympic Games, after Rashid Sidek at Atlanta 1996 and Lee Chong Wei at Beijing 2008, London 2012, and Rio 2016.
Lee Zii Jia secures his first Olympic medal
After tough matches at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Lee Zii Jia has earned one of the most prestigious medals an athlete can win – a medal at the Olympics. He’ll be bringing home Malaysia’s second bronze medal from this year’s Olympics, making us all proud.
Cover image adapted from: Utusan via website