Ahead of the upcoming Asian Games, Lee Zii Jia reported for his first day of joint training, where he was joined by Thailand men’s singles shuttler Kantaphon Wangcharoen.
Lee made his belated entry into the fray at the Academy Badminton Malaysia due to his prior training arrangements, but the sight of Kantaphon was not a surprise.
Advertisement
The Malaysian had already been training with the world number 36 before the World Championships in Copenhagen last month in an arrangement he said benefited both parties.
“He is not my sparring partner. I have already been training with him, and this is an arrangement that benefits both parties. We are both the same age and best friends. This gives him a new environment to train in also.
“I welcome shuttlers who want to train with me,” he said.
Lee and his team were embroiled in a sponsorship attire conflict with the national body just before the World Championships last time around, but there weren’t any issues this time.
The 25-year-old donned a white T-shirt with the national crest and the Badminton Association of Malaysia logo on either side as he went through his paces in training.
The Asian Games, which begins on Saturday in Hangzhou, China could be a turning point for the struggling shuttler if he can rise to the occasion.
The national contingent could do with the shuttler’s firepower as they seek redemption after returning home empty-handed from the previous edition in 2018.
Lee himself would be eager to turn in a good showing after crashing out early on numerous occasions this year, with the latest coming in China and Hong Kong.
At the last Asian Games, Lee lost to Kenta Nishimoto in the team event, before he was upstaged by South Korean Son Wan-ho in the individual category.
The world number 16 will compete in both the team and individual meet in Hangzhou.
Meanwhile, national shuttler Ng Tze Yong skipped Friday’s training after feeling unwell.
The 23-year-old had a gruelling schedule in China and Hong Kong, before returning home and back to training last Monday.
The national contingent will depart to Hangzhou on Monday.
Hanya yang terbaik, dipertemukan di sini.
— ASTRO ARENA (@ASTROARENA) September 22, 2023
Malaysia, adakah anda sudah bersedia untuk Sukan Asia Hangzhou 2023?
? 24th Sept - 8th Oct 2023.
?Hangzhou, China.
? Siaran langsung di Astro Arena.#HangzhouAsianGames #DemiNegaraku pic.twitter.com/3ue41hJekR
