Zii Jia hushes critics, wins second Olympic bronze for M'sia

Malaysia is now the proud owner of two bronze medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

National men’s singles professional shuttler Lee Zii Jia delivered the latest bronze when he bounced back from a game down to outlast India's Lakshya Sen 13-21, 21-16, 21-11 in an energy-sapping 71-minute third-placing playoff at the Porte de La Chapelle Arena today.

World number 22 Lakshya dominated the proceedings in the first game as Lee struggled to find his footing.

Things looked bleak at the start of the second game as the 26-year-old Malaysian found himself trailing 3-8.

But, as they say, when the going gets tough, the tough gets going. And that’s exactly what Lee did as he reeled off nine points in a row to take a 12-8 lead.

Lee was now in the driver’s seat and he never looked back as he punished Lakshya with some wonderful power play to force a rubber game.

His confidence boosted, the world number seven continued from where he left off to send Lakshya, who picked up an elbow injury during the game, packing and clinched his maiden Olympic medal - a bronze.

This is Lee’s second win over Lakshya in five meetings and it ended his rival’s hopes of becoming the first male shuttler from India to win an Olympic medal.

In yesterday’s semi-finals, Lee fell 14-21, 15-21 to 2023 world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand while Lakshya went down 20-22, 14-21 to defending champion Viktor Axelsen of Denmark.

Lee, who lost to China’s Chen Long in the last 16 on his Olympic debut in Tokyo 2020, is the third Malaysian men’s singles shuttler to have won an Olympic medal.

Rashid Sidek won a bronze in the 1996 edition in Atlanta while Lee Chong Wei clinched three straight silver medals in Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016.

Yesterday, men’s doubles aces Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik delivered the first medal for Malaysia at Paris 2024 when they clawed their way back from the brink of defeat to overcome Danes Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen 16-21, 22-20, 21-19.

- Bernama

Chia-Soh bag second Olympic bronze medal

'Thank you, Pearly' - Thinaah's heartfelt message for partner

Zii Jia goes down to Thailand's Kunlavut in Olympics semi-finals

Squash legend pens tribute to Thinaah, Tan