KUALA LUMPUR: Lee Zii Jia brought more joy to the Malaysian contingent at the Paris Olympics by securing a second bronze medal after defeating India's Lakshya Sen in the playoff for third place on Monday.
World No. 7 Zii Jia made a remarkable comeback after losing the first game, ultimately winning 13-21, 21-16, 21-11.
He becomes the third Malaysian, following Rashid Sidek (bronze at Atlanta 1992) and Lee Chong Wei (silver at Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016), to clinch a podium finish in the men's singles competition.
Despite a dominant start by Lakshya, who led 8-3 in the first game, Zii Jia turned the match around. Lakshya's right elbow injury, which required medical attention three times during the match, also played a role.
With two bronze medals in badminton, including one in the men's doubles by Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, the shuttlers have improved on their previous haul of one bronze medal in Tokyo three years ago.