Zii Jia pulls out of Commonwealth Games
Seng Foo Lee
June 23, 2022 12:02 MYT
June 23, 2022 12:02 MYT
Malaysian men's singles star Lee Zii Jia decided to skip the upcoming Commonwealth Games to focus on the BWF World Championships instead.
The world number five was initially named in the Badminton Association of Malaysia's (BAM) 10-player list for the trip to Birmingham, alongside two-time world junior champion Goh Jin Wei, Olympic bronze medalists Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, women's doubles pair Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah, and mixed doubles pairs Chan Peng Soon-Cheah Yee See and Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing.
Lee said the decision was made to ensure he would be fully fit for the world meet in Tokyo, which takes place two weeks after the Commonwealth Games (July 28-August 8).
Perseorangan lelaki utama negara, Lee Zii Jia korbankan impian beraksi di Sukan Komanwel Birmingham 2022 buat kali pertama bagi beri fokus dan tumpuan kepada Kejohanan Dunia musim ini !!!! pic.twitter.com/C4YIZIzyCk — ASTRO ARENA (@ASTROARENA) June 22, 2022
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"One of my dreams is to represent the country at the Commonwealth Games, but for now I need to withdraw [from the 2022 edition].
"This decision is tough for me to take but I have played in a lot of tournaments and my body is not getting enough rest.
"I have spoken to my team members and decided to focus on the World Championships.
"In the meantime, I'm trying my best to make sure I have the best body condition to compete at the upcoming Malaysia Open and Malaysia Masters," he said.
At the time of writing, the BAM had yet to comment on his withdrawal from the squad.
The two upcoming tournaments on home soil would be Lee's ninth and tenth consecutive tournament in 2022 since the Badminton Asia Team Championships in February, when he helped the country emerge victorious for the first time.
He also won the Asian individual honour and the Thailand Open in May by beating Indonesia's Jonatan Christie and China's Li Shifeng respectively.