Zii Jia wins Malaysia’s second bronze at Olympics
Published on: Monday, August 05, 2024
By: FMT
Lee Zii Jia defeated India’s Lakshya Sen in three games to win his first ever Olympic medal. (Bernama pic)
PETALING JAYA: Men’s singles star Lee Zii Jia mounted another stunning comeback for Malaysia at the Paris Olympics after coming from behind to beat India’s Lakshya Sen in a gripping battle for bronze.
The world No 7 defeated his world No 22 opponent 13-21, 21-16, 21-11 to win the country its second bronze medal, both of which have come from the national shuttlers.
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Although Zii Jia said he was gunning for gold in Paris, his result in the French capital represents an improvement from his performance at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, where he was eliminated in the last-16.
Zii Jia’s win today was largely down to the unanswered nine-point run he went on in the second game, when he took a 12-8 lead after trailing 8-3.
Lakshya opened a 10-4 lead in the first game and was able to maintain the comfortable cushion for the rest of the game.
The second game was a different affair, with Zii Jia maintaining his momentum after going ahead 12-8 and winning the last three points to force a rubber game.
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Lakshya was forced to seek treatment in the third game, which Zii Jia won after opening up a 9-2 lead.
Zii Jia’s victory comes after Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik fought back to win bronze against Denmark’s world No 2 Anders Skaarup Rasmusen-Kim Astrup in the men’s doubles competition yesterday.
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