TO the outside world, Donovan Lee Tze Shen seems to be living the dream of many young athletes.
The 17-year-old has been winning badminton tournaments while pursuing a diploma in bakery and pastry at Keningau Vocational College (KVC) in Sabah.
But his podium success has not come without struggles – earlier this year, he was ready to walk away from the sport that has been part of his life since he was six.
After falling short at the Malaysian Educational Institutions Games 2025 in Johor last September and subsequently suffering a shoulder injury, the Sabahan began questioning whether he should continue pursuing the sport.
Choosing to persevere, he recently led the KVC team to the badminton title at the 2026 Vocational College Sports (SUKOV) Championship for the Sabah/Labuan zone. Held in Keningau from June 13 to 16, the championship marked a milestone as badminton made its debut at the event this year.
As team captain, Lee credited KVC’s victory to months of disciplined training, strong teamwork and unwavering belief in one another.
“Some of us struggled along the way, but we stayed confident and supported each other. Everyone understood their
role, and we kept believing until we secured the championship,” he said.
Beyond leading the team, he also took on the role of coaching his teammates.
“I wanted to take some of the pressure off my teachers by helping to keep my teammates calm during matches and sharing strategies that could improve their performance,” he said.
Lee, who has also won gold at the District Schools Sports Council tournament and led his team to the inaugural Sabah TVET Institutions Sports Championship title this year, believes in living out the values he advocates.
“I kept trying and never gave up. I’m back competing again, and I’ll do my best to help my team create more history,” he told StarEdu.
Determined to edge out other top vocational college shuttlers, Lee is currently preparing for the national SUKOV championship, which will be held in Kelantan next month.
“It will be my first time going to Kelantan and competing there, so it’s a completely new experience for both my life and my badminton career, playing against players from outside Sabah. Going into this tournament, my expectation is definitely to win.
“I want to secure gold for Team Sabah because we don’t want to go home empty-handed. We just need to do our best, keep our team spirit high and stand tall among all the competitors,” he said.
Growing up in a family of passionate badminton players, Lee dreamt of following in their footsteps, taking inspiration from his father and older brothers, one of whom represented Sabah at the national level.
The sport, he said, has shaped his outlook on life.
“It taught me perseverance and discipline. There are times when you lose or don’t perform well, but those moments motivate you to work harder.
“The same applies to life – you have to stay patient, stay dedicated and keep going despite the challenges,” he shared.
Looking ahead, Lee hopes to one day become a pastry chef while continuing his badminton journey as both a professional player and a part-time coach.
Balancing academics and sports is no easy feat, but Lee maintained it all comes down to effort.
“I believe that every student tries their absolute best to balance both academics and sports. Even though it is hard, in the end, hard work pays off,” he said.
