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KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin congratulated Lee Zii Jia on his first All England victory last night and advised him to use it as a catalyst for further success.
Noting that the Kedah player was only 22 years old, Muhyiddin said he had many more years left in his badminton career.
“Well done Lee Zii Jia! You are a national hero. Congratulations to BAM (Badminton Association of Malaysia) and also to the coaching staff for this success.
“I am very sure that all Malaysians, especially badminton fans, are delighted with the victory of our national singles player Lee Zii Jia at the All England Badminton Championship,” he said in a post on his Facebook page.
Zii Jia claimed the title with a throbbing 30-29, 20-22, 21-9 victory over Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham.
Muhyiddin said that Zii Jia’s achievement would motivate him even more, especially since he lost to the same opponent in the semifinals of the prestigious tournament last year.
It was Zii Jia’s second win over Axelsen in the five times they had met.
The last time a Malaysian won the All England, the world’s oldest badminton tournament, was in 2017, when Lee Chong Wei beat Shi Yu Qi of China 21-12, 21-10.
Zii Jia took home US $ 59,500 (RM244,344).
