SEPANG: Shuttler Lee Zii Jia flew off to Paris today, and Malaysia hopes he will return with an Olympic gold medal.
He arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 7.30pm and swiftly checked in, accompanied by his sister-cum-manager Lee Zii Yii and coach Wong Tat Meng.
Also present to send the former All England champion off were several family members while his presence also attracted a number of fans at KLIA. Zii Jia will transit in Singapore before resuming his journey to Paris.
He did not give any interview to reporters gathered at the airport. There was nothing much more to say, really. Maybe, "ciao, see you next time with a gold",
But when asked whether he was ready for the Olympic challenge in Paris, Zii Jia responded with a nod.
The world No. 7 has made no secret of his intention to win the men's singles gold medal in Paris. And his hopes were boosted after receiving a favourable draw which saw him placed in Group G with Spain's Pablo Abian and Viren Nettasinghe of Sri Lanka.
Zii Jia's pursuit of Olympic glory could culminate in an explosive final clash against Denmark's defending champion Viktor Axelsen.