Zii Jia to undergo own training programme ahead of Thomas Cup

PETALING JAYA: Independent men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia will continue with his individual training programme under coach Wong Tat Meng ahead of the Thomas Cup Finals from April 27-May 5 in Chengdu instead of joining with the rest of the team.

Team LZJ released a statement on Tuesday (April 16) confirming the matter.

“The training programme and arrangements planned by Team LZJ’s director of coaching Wong Tat Meng will prepare Zii Jia to perform to the best of his abilities during the Thomas Cup and also his other upcoming tournaments,” the statement read.

“The programme, independent from the Thomas Cup team, has been discussed with the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) and is supported by national coaching director Rexy Mainaky and head of administration Michelle Chai.”

World No. 11 Zii Jia will join the team on April 24 to travel to Chengdu.

The other singles players in the team are Ng Tze Yong, Leong Jun Hao, Cheam June Wei and Justin Hoh while Aaron Chia, Soh Wooi Yik, Goh Sze Fei, Nur Izzuddin Rumsani and Mohd Haikal Nazri have been included in the doubles.