Let Zii Jia go and find his own path

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PinkLynx6432: National shuttler Lee Zii Jia's break-up with Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) is not unexpected following his sometimes erratic performances in several tournaments and sudden withdrawals midway even after solid preparations.

There’s also the untenable pressure on Zii Jia by the badminton crazy-for-success Malaysian public and BAM comparing him with former No 1 player Lee Chong Wei and pushing him to achieve Chong Wei's seemingly unachievable performance targets, and his epitomic 2021 All England success when he was crowned singles champion.

Zii Jia and Chong Wei are starkly different from each other in terms of style of play, match temperament, mental approach and focus, endurance and stamina, playing to strengths and adjusting to the opponent's playing style.

Nevertheless, Zii Jia did not do too badly as he is currently ranked seventh in Badminton World Federation (BWF) ranking.

BAM said they want to take him to greater heights and be as successful as Chong Wei. Zii Jia, however, said his main target is to be the best in his career and to stabilise his performance.

I see contrasting statements here. Do this reflect a poor understanding of BAM's approach in coaching Zii Jia, who is apparently short of confidence after his epitomic victory in the All England last year?

Zii Jia is very different from Chong Wei. Period. Stop comparing them and trying to prod Zii Jia to follow in Chong Wei's footsteps. At this moment, he just can’t. He still hasn't got it altogether.

He certainly needs a sports psychologist to calm him down, be more relaxed and not be highly strung, and to allow his stamina to pace rallies and to persevere and fight for crucial points so as to stage winning comebacks.

So, over to you, Zii Jia, and hopefully you can manage yourself better than BAM. I see a rough road ahead for you as you need backup and a good and understanding coach. To everyone else, Zii Jia is not Chong Wei and vice versa. Give him a break.

Dr Suresh Kumar: Zii Jia has every right to decide his future. He has done his part for the country and BAM should appreciate that. Just take a look at some of our veteran sportsmen and sportswomen.

Most of them are left to their own devices in their old age. By the way, he is still representing the country, donning the national colours and carrying the Malaysian flag, so what is the problem with BAM president Norza Zakaria?

In the first place, did Norza play any sports in his life? If he did, at what level? Shame on him to threaten Zii Jia.

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