SHAH ALAM – Independent men’s singles player Lee Zii Jia is ready to beat the heat following a short training stint in South Korea ahead of the Badminton Asia Team Championships (BATC), which is scheduled to kick off tomorrow at the Setia City Convention Centre, Shah Alam.
In a recent social media post, the world number 10 ranked shuttler shared glimpses of his rigorous training regimen with the Badminton Association of Korea (BKA) in Jincheon.
The 25-year-old expressed his gratitude to BKA for the opportunities given and is ready to apply what he learned to bring glory to his team at the BATC tournament.
“My training stint in South Korea was good, and the environment there was fantastic.
“I would like to take this moment to thank BKA for giving me a chance to train with some of their best facilities and with all their players as well.
“I didn’t feel like an outsider and they treated me well there. Their facilities and training centres are among the best in the world. My previous coach, Wong Tat Meng, was the one who arranged this trip, which was planned for last year.
“It’s a new experience for me in South Korea, especially learning about their culture. They have also produced two world champions (men’s and mixed doubles), and I’m glad that I learned a lot from them, which can be useful for my game in this tournament,” said Zii Jia when met after the test court session at Setia City today.
In 2022, the Malaysian men’s team clinched their maiden team title, while the women’s team secured their place in the Uber Cup Finals on merit after reaching the semifinals.
Akademi Badminton Malaysia (ABM) will field its strongest lineup for the BATC 2024 challenge by listing national men’s singles champions Zii Jia, Tze Yong, Jun Hao, and Eogene Ewe Eon for the singles category.
In men’s doubles, Malaysia will be represented by 2022 world champions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, and Choong Hon Jian-Muhammad Haikal Nazri.
The men’s team, seeded fourth in the tournament, will battle Brunei (tomorrow), Kazakhstan (February 14), and Chinese Taipei (February 15) in Group B.
Only the top two teams from each group will advance to the quarterfinals.
Additionally, the top four teams from the tournament will earn automatic qualification for the Thomas and Uber Cup, scheduled to take place in Chengdu, China, in April. – February 12, 2024