After his victory, Lee Zii Jia had a very calm reaction as opposed to the usual Olympic medal winner. There was no big and loud celebration, but rather, he celebrated with just two simple actions.
First, he held up his index finger and pointed it to his head with his eyes closed. Then, he put the finger on his lips.
Many fans on social media have since wondered, what's the meaning behind his celebration?
Turns out, he's been doing the first celebration over the years and it is actually a tribute to Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford, a player from a football team he supports. This is further confirmed by a tweet by Victor Malaysia's X account from about a year ago.
Lee Zii Jia ? Marcus Rashford https://t.co/vkj2K23o4E pic.twitter.com/XQ2cYsJwA5
— VICTOR Malaysia (@victor_malaysia) March 17, 2023
His second move of putting his finger on his lips is still up for debate, but it is a common celebration in sports as a sign of silencing the haters. It could be true following his comments after the match, which he expressed his sadness over reading negative news about him over the years.
"Every morning I wake up, nampak macam-macam news pasal saya (I see all types of news about me). I wonder apa yang saya buat salah (I wonder what I've done wrong)."
"I don't know what happened to media especially, I just told myself I will keep silent, no matter how they humiliate me dan cakap apa-apa tentang saya (whatever they want to say about me)."
"I just want to prove to myself that saya memang boleh (I definitely can do it)."
"I will come back stronger in LA 2028 Olympics and get that gold medal."
Once again, congratulations to Lee Zii Jia and thank you for making Malaysia shine on the international stage!