Zii Jia's game on the up in Asiad - Chong Wei

HANGZHOU - National badminton legend Datuk Lee Chong Wei feels that men's singles ace Lee Zii Jia has shown an improvement in his performance in the Asian Games this time.

Chong Wei, who is the badminton team manager for the Road to Olympic (RTG) programme for the Olympics, sees it as a good start for the 25-year-old to regain his confidence after a string of dismal performances since early this year.

"His game has evolved, he's more patient, unlike last time when he would just go for the points and rely on attacking only. Now, he engages in long rallies and bides his time,” he said when met at the Binjiang Gymnasium here.

World number 16 Zii Jia began his Asiad men's singles individual event by ousting Angus Ng Ka Long of Hong Kong before taking out Mourinho Zefi Costa Gusmao de Jesus of Timor Leste in the second round and world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand to march into the quarter-finals, where his journey was cut short by India's HS Prannoy.

Chong Wei, winner of five medals in individual and team events at the Asiad, also said that Ng Tze Yong's most significant weakness is his strength, as seen in his defeat by Kodai Naraoka of Japan.

Chong Wei said Tze Yong also needs to further improve tactically if he is to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics next July, adding that the matter had already been discussed with the coaching panel.

Commenting on the performance of men's doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, who lost to India's Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Shirag Chetty in the semi-finals yesterday, Chong Wei attributed it to their lack of tactical acumen and strength.

He said that while it was the norm for any tournament to have winners and losers, what's important is to understand the reasons for the defeats and work on rectifying them for future challenges.

Asked if any athlete who did not perform well at the Asiad would be dropped from the RTG, Chong Wei the matter would only be discussed at the committee meeting on Oct 12.

"For now, there is no decision, we will discuss the performance of all athletes at the meeting. We hope all the fans will not give up on our badminton team, (and) keep on supporting our team.

"I am in the RTG, I can assist in terms of providing my services. Having competed in four editions of the Olympics, I can share my experiences with all the athletes to help them prepare for Paris 2024,” he said.

The bronze medal Aaron-Wooi Yik clinched, courtesy of making the semi-finals, ensured that the national badminton team did not return home empty-handed like at the 2018 edition in Jakarta-Palembang, Indonesia. - BERNAMA