KUALA LUMPUR – Independent men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia is considering a strategic approach to his tournament participation this year, with a focus on early qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Currently occupying the 12th position in the BWF Race to Paris rankings, where the top 38 players secure Olympic qualification, Zii Jia has reiterated the upcoming Summer Games as his main target for the year.
The 25-year-old expressed a clear plan for Olympic qualification, indicating a potential reduction in the number of tournaments he will play in.
“Everyone knows the biggest tournament this year is the Olympics so of course that is my main target.
“It depends on my performance if I can qualify early, maybe we will reduce the tournaments that I will play in,” he told reporters when met at Malaysia Open test court sessions at Axiata Arena, Bukit Jalil, here today.
Speaking ahead of the Malaysia Open, which starts tomorrow, Zii Jia said he had a month to prepare and feels ready to face the challenge of ending Malaysia’s barren run at the home tournament.
He credited his coach Wong Tat Meng for creating a training plan tailored to his needs and expressed trust in following the devised strategy.
“My coach drew up a training plan for me and I just followed it. If he thinks that is the best for me I will just follow it.
“I’m not too worried about the draw, I barely ever look at it. All I know is that in the first round, I will play Lu Guangzu (China).
“I will just play and listen to my coach’s feedback and improve on what is necessary,” said the All England champion.
In the previous editions of the Malaysia Open, Datuk Lee Chong Wei was the last Malaysian to claim victory, holding a record-breaking 12 titles. – January 8, 2024