As Malaysians, we are so proud of the athletes who are representing our country in Tokyo 2020! The Malaysian team consists of so many talented athletes including Goh Liu Ying, Chan Peng Soon, Farah Ann and many more.
On 28 July, Malaysians everywhere tuned in to watch the match between Lee Zii Jia and French badminton player, Brice Leverdez. The match was initially scheduled for 7.40pm. However, it was delayed till 9.30pm.
The much-anticipated game ended in under 35 minutes after Lee Zii Jia won two sets.
Amazing sportsmanship by Leverdez
However, it wasn’t the match that got Malaysians talking as much as the respect and sportsmanship displayed by the Frenchman after Zii Jia’s victory. Talking about the loss, the French player said:
“Nothing else to say than well played Lee Zii Jia. He played unbelievable badminton. I have no regrets on how I played and how I tried but my opponent was too quick, too strong.”
He also said that he had never seen the moves used by Lee Zii Jia. With that, he thinks that Lee has a “really good chance to make history for Malaysia”. He talks about his dreams of making history for France in the Men’s Singles at the Olympics which is now over.
“Life is hard sometimes but Iām still proud of what I have done and all the efforts I put to come here.”
Malaysians took to the comment section of the post and congratulated the Frenchman for making it this far in the competition, applauding him for the sportsmanship he displayed despite the loss. With this win, Lee Zii Jia will be facing China’s Chen Long at 6.15pm (Malaysia time) on 29 July. We will be rooting for you, Zii Jia!
