World No. 7 Lee Zii Jia has successfully brought home Malaysia’s second Olympic bronze medal after prevailing over India’s Lakshya Sen in three sets.
At the start of the first set, Zii Jia was trailing behind by several match points and while he tried his best to close the gap, it wasn’t enough and he lost 13-21.
Zii Jia put up a more spirited fight in the second set but unfortunately bled away a four-point lead, which gave Lakshya an opportunity to capitalise on it and tie the score at 12-12. Fortunately, Zii Jia held his nerves and sealed it with a 21-16 victory.
With momentum firmly on his side, Zii Jia continued to mount the pressure on Lakshya and held a seven-point lead. Unfortunately, he once again gave Lakshya the chance to narrow the gap.
Halfway through the match, Lakshya sustained an injury to his right arm, which affected his ability to deliver smashes. In the end, it provided Zii Jia the opening he needed to win the third set 21-11.
HE DID IT!!!!!!
— Giarc Nibisna 🇲🇾🌺 (@craigansibin) August 5, 2024
ANOTHER MEDAL FOR MALAYSIA IN PARIS!!
🇲🇾 Lee Zii Jia contributed another medal for Malaysian Contingent at the #Paris2024 #OlympicGames !
Defeating 🇮🇳 Lakshya Sen in the bronze medal match sealing his maiden Olympic medal!
13-21
21-16
21-11
Congratulations… pic.twitter.com/I431j6xDf6
Prior to the matchup against Lakshya, Zii Jia was roundly trounced by reigning world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand in two straight sets at the semi-finals, marking the end of Malaysia’s dream to secure gold.
Following Zii Jia’s win, Malaysia has so far won two bronze medals at the Olympics after men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik defeated Denmark’s Kim Astrup-Anders Rasmussen to become two-time bronze medallists yesterday (Aug 4).
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