Zii Jia talks about pushing through media humiliation to prove worth

In an emotional post-match interview, shuttler Lee Zii Jia shared how he has had to endure constant media attacks while trying to prove his worth.

Despite this, he said he had kept silent up to now.

“Every morning, I wake up seeing all sorts of news about me. I wondered what I did wrong.

“I just wake up every morning, showing up for training, keeping quiet.

“I don’t know what happened, especially to the media. I just told myself that I would keep silent no matter how they humiliated me or said anything about me. I kept silent because I know I will prove to them (my worth),” he said in an interview with Astro Arena.

He said this moments after winning bronze for badminton at the Paris Olympics last night.

Lee and his fans have a fraught relationship with sports media, who are deemed to be overly critical of his performance.j

This includes criticism against a local sports commentator accused of making unprofessional remarks while commentating on a match between Lee and Spain’s Pablo Abian during the qualifying stage at the Paris Olympics.

Lee said he was proud of himself for bagging bronze at the Olympics despite having targeted gold.

“This is just a starting point for me. Definitely, I will come back stronger in LA (Los Angeles 2028 Olympics) and I will get that gold medal,” he said.

Self-funded trip

Last month, news portal Scoop reported that Lees team foot the bill themselves to accompany and assist him in Paris.

This after he could not get two additional accreditation cards for his physiotherapist and personal sparring partner to attend the Olympics with him, despite seeking assistance from chef de mission Hamidin Mohd Amin.

According to the report, those who accompanied the nation's top-ranked shuttler include his manager-cum-sister Lee Zii Yii, coach Wong Tat Meng, physiotherapist Rayvadee Rattanakthada, strength and conditioning coach Lim Joe Heang and sparring partner Lee Shun Yang.

Only coach Wong stayed in the athletes' village with the shuttler while the others stayed elsewhere, at their own expense.

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