MALAYSIAN men’s singles badminton player Lee Zii Jia acknowledges the challenge ahead as he prepares to face Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the semi-finals of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Scheduled for Sunday (Aug 4), the match promises to be intense, with Kunlavut, the reigning 2023 world champion, coming off a sensational win against China’s top-seeded Shi Yu Qi in straight sets, 21-12, 21-10.
Lee, who reached the semi-finals by defeating Denmark’s Anders Antonsen at the Porte de La Chapelle Arena, admitted his record against Kunlavut isn’t favourable.
“My record against him is not very good, and he is the world champion. He has beaten the top and and he is definitely at his best and full of confidence,” he said.
Reflecting on his win over Antonsen, Lee noted, “I am quite happy with my performance. I was quite calm in such a big match while Antonsen wanted to win too much and ended up making a lot of mistakes.
“This is the Olympics and everyone wants to win and it depends on who can stay calm and deal with all kinds of situations, especially pressure.” – Aug 3, 2024
