Lee Zii Jia aims for big start to 2024 on home soil after 2023 upheaval
After losing assistant coach Liew Daren in the last week of 2023 to cap off a difficult year, Lee Zii Jia is looking forward to a positive start to the Olympic year.
Badminton
What awaits Lee Zii Jia in 2024?
The Paris 2024 Olympic Games are just seven months away, and Malaysia's badminton star will no doubt have them in his sights.
But after a rollercoaster 2023 that ended on a disappointing note with his assistant coach quitting, Lee will be hoping for the perfect start in 2024 with the Malaysia Open on home soil.
Malaysian events have not been a happy hunting ground for Lee, who has not reached the final in any of his eight previous appearances at the Malaysia Open and Malaysia Masters.
"Nobody wants to lose, especially in front of the home fans," Lee told Malaysian media recently. "What's important is how I handle and manage the pressure. My goal remains the same, that is to record better results consistently.
"I'm not thinking about my past record here but I hope to do better this time."
Lee Zii Jia's changes to training and new sparring partner
After Lee's 2023 season ended at the China Masters in December, the Malaysian took time off before posting photos on social media showing him training at the beach.
This, he revealed, is part of coach Wong Tat Meng's plans for him this season.
"I have been training hard under coach Tat Meng for a month to prepare for this season; these sessions on the beach once a week are quite new for me," he explained.
"It's really a fun way to train – I've felt lighter on court after the sessions and hopefully it will help me in tournaments."
However, there was one final blow for Lee right before the turn of the year, as his sparring partner and assistant coach Liew Daren quit "Team LZJ" for personal reasons.
But in that setback came a new positive: Zii Jia's camp managed to find a suitable replacement for Liew quickly, in the shape of Lee Shun Yang (no relation to Zii Jia).
Lee Shun Yang, a bronze medallist at the 2023 Southeast Asian Games, had lost his spot on the Badminton Association of Malaysia roster, and was quickly hired to help provide Zii Jia some sparring opposition – especially after an original agreement with France's Popov brothers fell through.
Finding new balance for Lee Zii Jia
After a disappointing start to 2023 that saw him take a break from the sport midway through last year, the Malaysian hit a purple patch of form in the second half of the season following a change in coach, including winning his first BWF title in 17 months at the Arctic Open.
"My performances towards the end of the year is something positive that I can bring into the new year," Lee said in his gatherings with Malaysian press ahead of his home Open.
However, the 25-year-old is also conscious of his workload. In this Olympic year, the Malaysian is keen to ensure he does not feel burnt out, as he did in 2023.
"If there is nothing serious (with qualification), I won't play in too many tournaments," he revealed.
"For now, I will play in all the tournaments except the Thailand Masters. After that we will see how it goes and what my performance is like.
"Simply playing in too many tournaments with no results is pointless. If I can qualify for the Olympics early, then I will limit my participation in tournaments."
The Olympic qualification ranking cut-off for badminton falls on 28 April, with the final qualifying rankings published two days later.