Lee Zii Jia bows out of BWF World Tour Finals 2024 with ankle injury

Malaysia shuttler, Lee Zii Jia, was the favourite to qualify from Group A before his injury.

Malaysia No. #1 in singles and Paris Olympics bronze medallist Lee Zii Jia has exited the prestigious BWF World Tour Finals 2024 after suffering an ankle injury. During the hotly contested match against China’s Li Shi Feng, the World No. #8 men’s shuttler began limping and subsequently retired from the match. He had to concede a walkover despite winning the first game 22-20 and leading in the second by a 15-11 score.

As it happens, due to his retirement from the Group A fixture, all of his results at the 2024 BWF World Tour Finals have been voided. The nullification of Lee Zii Jia’s match results is likely to mean that Denmark’s Anders Antonsen and China’s Li Shi Feng will qualify from Group A for the semifinals.

Lee Zii Jia retires from the match due to an ankle injury! Wishing him a fast recovery.Follow live action: https://t.co/TjoFnU5nd9@HSBC_Sport #BWFWorldTourFinals #Hangzhou2024 pic.twitter.com/Ortitk3M8t

— BWF (@bwfmedia) December 13, 2024

The injury is a huge setback for the Malaysian, who had an eventful and successful 2024, winning two titles and an Olympic bronze medal. He appeared to be apologising to the spectators after suffering the knock and retiring from the match against the Chinese opponent, showing an incredible sense of sportsmanship.

Li Shi Feng walked over and consoled the injured opponent who was visibly discomforted due to the ankle injury.

An unfortunate conclusion

Lee Zii Jia had a promising 2024 calendar year. The Malaysian ace shuttler won the Thailand Open and the Australian Open. He also notably won the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics after defeating India’s Lakshya Sen in the bronze medal match. Finishing second at the Malaysia Masters was also a decent achievement by the former Asian Championships gold medallist.

No one would've seen that coming, not to mention when Lee Zii Jia was playing exceptionally well throughout.I am absolutely heartbroken. Please take care, and may you recover very soon! Thank you for all the efforts in 2024, and to Coach Wong Tat Meng and Chinese fans!#WTF2024 pic.twitter.com/e16JHxJKHq

— Rene Biaoli 🇲🇾🏸 (@BiaoliR) December 13, 2024

Lee Zii Jia began the 2024 BWF World Tour Finals campaign on a strong note. He defeated Chou Tien-Chen of Chinese Taipei in straight games and made a strong statement of intent. Later on, the Malaysian enthralled the crowd by defeating Anders Antonsen of Denmark in straight games too. However, an ankle injury proved to be his nemesis as he was heading for a third consecutive flawless victory in Group A.

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