KUALA LUMPUR – If national shuttler Lee Zii Jia wants to be among the badminton greats, he needs to have a proper professional setup around him that works efficiently, said former badminton star Datuk James Selvaraj.
The 1976 Thomas Cup silver medallist said Zii Jia needs to have people around him who manage athletes in a professional manner.
“If he had professional advice around him, he would have gone to the Commonwealth Games. It would have given him more confidence going into the World Championships.
“He needs professional guidance to advise him on which competitions to join and which to sit out, that way his momentum is maintained at a high level,” he told The Vibes.
Zii Jia is currently managed by his sister, Lee Zii Yii.
James said the decision to skip the Commonwealth Games meant Zii Jia spent almost two months not playing competitively.
“It was a wasted opportunity. He would have won gold in Birmingham hands down. I am not the only one that is saying it, others in the fraternity say the same.
“Now he has to wait another four years until the next Commonwealth Games,” he said.
James added that Zii Jia’s mistakes during the round of 16 match where he was knocked out of the recent BWF World Championships by China’s Zhao Jun Peng shows the world No. 5 still lacks in experience when playing at the highest level.
“He made so many silly mistakes. For that to happen at the World Championships shows that he does not have the match temperament to get him through.
“He needs to be going for more competitions because we can see that he does not have enough tournament experience.
“He is a good player who has a very bright future ahead of him. He just needs the right professional guidance around him. Maybe his current setup is good, but not good enough,” said James, who is a member of the Badminton Association of Malaysia’s (BAM) coaching & training committee.
At the World Championships in Tokyo, Zii Jia was stunned by 23rd seed Zhao Jun Peng from China 19-21, 21-11, 19-21 in the third round of the biggest badminton competition in the world.
Former national shuttler Roslin Hashim felt that 24-year-old Zii Jia wasted a golden opportunity to silence his critics by proving that his decision to skip the Commonwealth Games was right by getting knocked out in the round of 16 in Japan. – The Vibes, August 31, 2022
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