KUALA LUMPUR, June 2 — The Olympics will be the best platform for national men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia to chart the course of his badminton career.

In the absence of national champion Datuk Lee Chong Wei, and other Malaysian singles players such as Chong Wei Fung and Liew Darren at the Games in Tokyo, the 21-year-old must grab every opportunity that comes his way.

National men’s singles coach Datuk Misbun Sidek said good performances at that stage will help the Kedah-born shuttler carve his name further on the local and international badminton scene.

"He (Zii Jia) must seize this opportunity to build his own legacy. He has to ask a lot of questions, think a lot and keep analysing opponents’ games and ask himself if he wants to be same as others. This will help him decide the path he wants to take.”

"If you ask me, the Olympics will provide the answers as to which direction he must take,” he told Bernama.

According to Misbun, performance wise, his protege is closing in on the world’s best ranked players but yet the top prizes remained elusive.

He believes there is still room for Zii Jia to mature as a player despite already having gained the attention of the media and the competition.

"He’s not reached his targeted potential yet in terms of playing maturity and that always needs time.”

"I’ve been training him for almost a year and a half but he also gets lots of knowledge from the team and with opportunities from Chong Wei’s absence now, and he’s trying to make his presence felt.” he said.

Misbun said having the right mentality and attitude, and very high levels of discipline are the traits of a champion. — Bernama