KUALA LUMPUR, June 29 — National singles badminton ace Lee Zii Jia prefers to turn a blind eye to comments comparing him to three-time Olympic silver medallist Datuk Lee Chong Wei ahead of next month’s Tokyo Olympics.
Reigning All England champion Zii Jia does not want to entertain such comparisons as he intends to enjoy his Olympic debut without any additional pressure.
“I realise that a lot of people have been making comparisons between me and Chong Wei all this while.
“But I do not entertain them. I hope to go to Tokyo in the best shape and with no pressure at all,” he said in a video clip posted on the Badminton Association of Malaysia’s Facebook page today.
The world number eight is also hoping to bag a medal at the world’s biggest multi-sports Games in Japan.
The 23-year-old does not care about the medal colour as long as he can deliver the goods at the Musashino Forest Sports Plaza.
The Kedahan will surely be among the medal contenders in Tokyo following his All England triumph after defeating world number two Viktor Axelsen of Denmark 30-29, 20-22, 21-9 in the final in Birmingham in March.
Zii Jia will have seven other shuttlers for company at the Tokyo Olympics, namely Soniia Cheah (women’s singles); Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik (men’s doubles); Chow Mei Kuan-Lee Meng Yean (women’s doubles); and Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying (mixed doubles).
The Tokyo Olympic Games will be from July 23-August 8. — Bernama
