Lee biding his time
PETALING JAYA: Is men's singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia truly getting better, or has he actually been fine all along?
Will he return to competition at the World Championships in Paris next month, after skipping all tournaments since March due to an ankle injury?
Concerns remain over his fitness, especially with questions mounting over why his ankle injury has yet to heal after more than three months, leaving him still unable to return to competition.
Zii Jia had skipped last week's Japan Open in Tokyo and this week's China Open in Changzhou due to the injury.
Ankle injuries typically take between two and eight weeks to heal.
However, according to sports medicine specialist Dr Hazwan Khair, Zii Jia's ankle issue appears to be far more complex. It is not surprising that he needs a longer recovery period before making a full return to competition.
'Getting back to his best form is a subjective matter. While two to eight weeks is the usual recovery time for common ankle injuries based on most case studies, it really depends on the nature of the injury,' said Dr Hazwan, who treated Selangor footballer Faisal Halim back to his feet.
'If it involves the cartilage, ligaments, or bone marrow swelling, also known as bone oedema, then it will definitely take longer to heal. The player himself may be frustrated, and fans are understandably questioning the delay in his return. But sometimes, we need to understand that the tissue capacity has to be gradually rebuilt before a full comeback is possible,' said Hazwan.
Zii Jia's injury is a recurring one, which he first sustained during the BWF World Tour Finals in Hangzhou last December.
He attempted a comeback in March after missing several tournaments earlier, but only managed to compete in the Orleans Masters and the All-England before announcing that he would shift his focus back to the recovery process.
'When someone has suffered an ankle injury, the risk of recurrence is always higher compared to an ankle that has never been injured,' said Dr Hazwan.
'In Zii Jia's case, we have to be prepared for the possibility of it happening again.
'The key to managing this is to minimise the risk and optimise his movements.
'From a coach's perspective, it is important to monitor every aspect of his condition, including training load, recovery, ice baths, post-training and post-tournament massage, and rest. Everything needs to be taken into account,' he added.
While his injury recovery is a concern, Zii Jia however, showed that his posting of cryptic messages depicting sketches of a series of disturbing images on his account, was probably an artistic interest.
After nearly two weeks of speculation among badminton fans around the world about the former Asian champion's mental health condition, Zii Jia made a surprise public appearance at the Victor brand conference and new product launch in China on Sunday.
Zii Jia was one of the featured faces of the badminton brand, modelling the new collection for the 2026 season on a runway.
Other notable appearances at the event included 2024 Paris Olympic gold medallists Zheng Siwei-Huang Yaqiong, who have both retired, as well as former men's doubles player Li Junhui, who was reunited with his old partner Liu Yuchen.
Also present was Indonesia's men's singles player Jonatan Christie.
Following the event, he didn't just attend a fan meet-and-greet session but also took part in a friendly exhibition match, where he even served as the umpire.
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