SEPANG - Wong Tat Meng describes the mental endurance of his charge, Lee Zii Jia is getting stronger than ever and it translates into a bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games for the country.
Despite losing to Thailand's champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the semi-finals, Tat Meng was proud that it did not interfere with the 26-year-old's performance in the bronze medal decider against India's Lakshya Sen.
"That was a very strong return especially near the big tournament after the defeat in the semi-final.
"So we understand because he managed to come back quickly. I'm proud of him. You can see from the performance from the tournament before and now," he said after arriving at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) today together with Zii Jia.
Also returning from Paris were the national men's doubles bronze medalists, Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik; women's doubles, Pearly Tan-M Thinaah; the national mixed doubles player, Chen Tang Jie and the coaching staff of the Academy of Badminton Malaysia (ABM).
The player ranked seventh in the world won the bronze after defeating Lakshya Sen of India 13-21, 21-16, 21-11 in the bronze decider at Porte de La Chapelle Arena, on Monday (August 5).
Meanwhile, Tat Meng said he already has a plan for Zii Jia to face the remaining tournaments this year starting at the Japan Open on August 20 to 25. - BERNAMA