KUALA LUMPUR, April 8 — Badminton ace Lee Zii Jia aims to win the country’s first gold medal in Paris 2024, said Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh.
The minister said she met with Lee together with Road to Gold (RTG) Coordinator Stuart Ramalingam this morning, and it was a positive meeting as Lee supported the RTG initiative and was thankful to be included in the project.
“Lee Zii Jia told me he really wants that first gold medal in Paris 2024 for the country,” she said in a Facebook post.
“This is what I want to hear from our athletes, it starts with that desire for gold,” she added.
Yeoh said Stuart would discuss with Lee’s agent the details of his commitment to RTG.
She said the discussions would include coordination on coaching and sparring.
“Let’s get to work,” she said.
Lee, who is ranked number four in the world, left Akademi Badminton Malaysia (ABM) nearly two years ago.
He failed to qualify for the quarter-finals of all four tournaments he participated in the 2023 season.
He was eliminated in the first round in Malaysia Open, followed by a second round in the India Open, Indonesia Masters and the latest German Open.
Last month, he failed to defend his All-England Open title when he lost to Shi Yu Qi in the semi-finals.
Yesterday, the Youth and Sports Ministry said it has shortlisted 15 athletes for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris 2024 including Lee.
