PETALING JAYA: Lee Zii Jia’s personal coach Liew Daren has assured that his charge is in peak physical condition, dismissing concerns that the Paris Olympic bronze medallist is still troubled by injury.
Zii Jia resumed training with the national squad at Akademi Badminton Malaysia (ABM) in Bukit Kiara on Friday (April 10), under the supervision of men’s singles coach K. Yogendran.
The session, which lasted over two hours, saw Zii Jia looking sharp in match play against several national back-up players.
Daren believes such sessions are beneficial as they provide Zii Jia with a wider range of sparring partners.
Also joining the session were independent shuttlers Cheam June Wei and Aidil Sholeh Ali Sadikin.
"The most important thing is that there are many sparring partners here. So it’s good for him because I think he needs exposure to different types of players.
"He may not have had as many sparring opportunities recently. So this is a good chance for him to improve," Daren said.
Zii Jia is expected to be part of the national squad for the Thomas Cup in Horsens, Denmark, from April 24 to May 3.
At the same time, Daren also expressed his appreciation to the National Sports Institute (NSI) for extending assistance to provide Zii Jia with treatment.
Zii Jia had earlier raised concerns after an ankle injury, which forced him to delay his return to training with the national squad twice. He was initially scheduled to resume on April 1.
"Firstly, I would like to thank the NSI and Datuk Seri Lee Chong Wei as well, because we did receive the offer.
"So far, I think we are okay and things are going fine. Hopefully there are no injuries now. The most important thing at the moment is training. We need to increase the intensity," he added.
