Lee Zii Jia

Lee Zii Jia was born on March 29, 1998, in Alor Setar, Kedah, to Chinese Malaysian parents Lee Chee Hin and Leow Siet Peng. His parents were both teachers and former basketball international players. At the young age of 6, his parents introduced him to the sport of badminton. In his early years, Lee attended Keat Hwa H Primary School in Alor Setar, Kedah. After displaying exceptional skills in the under 12 competition, he was soon recruited into the prestigious Bukit Jalil Sports School.

In 2015, he claimed the title of junior champion at the Perak and Selangor Badminton Open. In November 2016, Lee secured a bronze medal at the World Junior Championships, falling short in the semifinals to Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo. Later that same month, he reached the final round of the India International Series, but ultimately lost to Lakshya Sen. These outstanding achievements at the junior level paved the way for his inclusion in Malaysia’s senior squad.

In September 2017, Lee Zii Jia clinched his first senior victory at the Polish International by defeating Soong Joo Ven 21–17, 21–16. Lee then made it to the finals of the Chinese Taipei Open 2018 after he defeated the then World No. 4 men’s singles player, Chou Tien-chen, in the semi-finals. In the final, the game went to three sets but Riichi Takeshita couldn’t replicate the same energy in the third set as Jia secured  his maiden BWF World Tour title and his second international title by defeating the Japanese with a scoreline of 21-17, 16-21, 21-11.  This made him the second Malaysian, following Lee Chong Wei, to bag a BWF top-tier men’s singles title since 2013.

In 2019, he earned his spot to compete in the BWF World Championships held in Basel, Switzerland. However, his journey was halted in the quarter-finals by the then World No. 1 men’s singles player, Kento Momota of Japan, who went on to become the World Champion. Later in December 2019, he claimed the gold medal in men’s singles at the Southeast Asian Games and played a pivotal role in the national men’s team securing the silver medal.

The following year, in February 2020, he contributed to Malaysia men’s team clinching the silver medal at the Badminton Asia Team Championships, where he also assumed the role of the national team captain. He emerged victorious in 4 out of the 5 matches in the Asia Team Championships and faced defeat in the final match against Anthony Sinisuka Ginting. His stellar performance at the All England Open 2020 propelled his world ranking to No. 10 on 17 March 2020.

In March 2021, Lee claimed his first Super 1000 tournament at the All England Open, overcoming the reigning champion Viktor Axelsen with a score of 30–29, 20–22, 21–9. However, in January 2022, Lee faced a two-year ban from participating in any international tournaments that required Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) permission and any Badminton World Federation (BWF)–sanctioned events. The ban was met with public disapproval and criticism from international players. Consequently, Lee appealed against the ban on 24 January 2022. Following a meeting between Lee and BAM on 25 January 2022, the ban was revoked, though the terms of the agreement were kept confidential.

In May 2022, Lee became the Asian champion as he won the men’s singles title at the Badminton Asia Championships 2022. He defeated Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie 21–17, 23–21 in straight sets to achieve this feat. This victory made Lee the sixth Malaysian men’s singles player to win the Asian Championships title. On 22 May 2022, Lee bagged his first BWF World Tour Super 500 title at the 2022 Thailand Open, defeating China’s Li Shifeng with a three-set score of 17–21, 21–11, 23–21 in a thrilling 70-minute match.

On March 9, 2023, Lee made history as he appeared on a digital billboard in Times Square, New York, in celebration of Victor, a renowned badminton brand, marking its 55th anniversary. This made him the first Malaysian badminton player to be showcased on a Times Square billboard. In addition to Lee, other esteemed international badminton players, including Tai Tzu Ying, Anders Antonsen, Apriyani Rahayu, Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti, Hendra Setiawan, and Mohammad Ahsan were also featured.