Kuala Lumpur: Lee Zii Jia took to social media to express his gratitude for the support he received, which helped him secure a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics. In his post, Lee specifically mentioned and thanked Nicol David – Malaysia’s squash player who dominated the sport and became the first to win eight World Open crowns (2005–06, 2008–12, 2014).
However, there was no mention of the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM). This situation is somewhat reminiscent of Tom Brady, widely regarded as the greatest of all time (GOAT) in American football, who famously omitted the New England Patriots (the club which he won six Super Bowls with) from his retirement message. If you’re interested in the parallels, a quick Google search will give you more details.
Lee Zii Jia wrote on Facebook, “Finally to tie up my 2nd Olympics journey and this time I came back with a bronze medal from Paris.
Huge acknowledgment to my team for making this dream a reality that a professional team can go this far, lot of ups and downs since 2022 and I’m proud of myself that I didn’t give up in those time of struggle.
So glad that I bring back this bronze medal to our country and also to all my sponsors that supported me throughout this journey. @victorsport_official @lg_malaysia and @my100plus thanks for believing in me and my team in pursuing our dream.
Besides putting in a huge investment in supporting my dream, the unconditional trust and belief in me is even more meaningful. It’s always a source of great motivation for me to continue with my journey. Also to all of the other brands that supported me before and University Malaya where I get to use the best of facilities to enhance my performance. I would also like to share my joyness with all of you 🙏
Not to forget my fellow Malaysian and also my fans from all over the world, thanks for being my backbone and emotional support system, I’ll keep all those blessings for me to continue in my professional journey. Thank You.
Also, thanks to @kbsmalaysia and @msn_malaysia_official for supporting the athlete, @isnmalaysia for the medical support during this Olympic period. Thanks to @olympicmas and its staff and our CDM Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin for the accommodation arrangement and most importantly sorting out the AD pass allocation during the Olympics period. Special thanks to our Deputy CDM @nicoldsquash for being there to give me her full support in every match.”
