IT is common for Malaysian players to win badminton gold medals in the Commonwealth Games. But no Malaysian has ever won a world title. Even the great Datuk Lee Chong Wei could only finish runner-up three times.
When Lee Zii Jia talked about "focusing on the World Championships" as the reason for his shock move to forego the Commonwealth Games, his legions of fans, including 949,000 Instagram followers, supported his decision.
They believe this will indeed do him a world of good. The Asian champion feels he has been playing in too many competitions, and skipping the Birmingham Commonwealth Games (July 28 to Aug 8) will enable him to be better prepared for the Tokyo World Championships (Aug 21 to 28). There were those who disagreed though.
Former Thomas Cupper Datuk James Selvaraj questioned Zii Jia's "national spirit" while deputy chef de mission Gerard Monteiro said the player's decision was disappointing.
The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) may be upset, but it won't get drawn into the issue, lest it ends up getting "smashed" by fans.
In January, things didn't end up well for BAM in the court of public opinion when it banned Zii Jia for two years after he quit the national team to turn professional.
That led to a fans uproar and Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu stepping in while Zii Jia scored all the sympathy points. Zii Jia, who made the world sit up and take notice of him when he won last year's All England title after a titanic battle with Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen, wants to be master of his own destiny, even if it means ruffling the feathers of officialdom.
But is Zii Jia a genuine challenger for the world title? His shock loss to the unheralded Indonesian, Shesar Hiren Rhustavito, in the Malaysia Open second round early this week is a grim reminder that many banana skins await him.
His supporters feel it's okay if he can't win the Malaysia Open or this "open" or that "open" on the international circuit. The world title is all that matters.
In fact after his loss to Shesar, Zii Jia, in reference to his preparation for the World Championships, said: "I know where I stand, and it's important for me to maintain my condition to play at the highest level." So, he's tailoring his game to peak in the Land of the Rising Sun.
In fact, what world No. 1 Axelsen said last week about Zii Jia — that the Malaysian is his "toughest rival in recent times" is an interesting point. That sounds about right.
Axelsen aside, Zii Jia has got the better of the best players from China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea and India in the past two years.
If Zii Jia wins the world title on Aug 28, it will be just three days before National Day, making it the perfect Merdeka present for Malaysia on the 65th anniversary of the country's independence.
Ironically, colonial ruler Britain initiated the Commonwealth Games, which originally were known as the British Empire Games. Critics say the Commonwealth Games have lost their relevance as many sports already have their own world and continental championships.
Well, Zii Jia is also not interested in the Commonwealth crown. He wants the world.