LEE Zii Jia’s momentous All England triumph is certainly a joyous occasion for Malaysia in the pandemic-era. It also offers hope that Malaysian badminton has finally found a fitting replacement for former World No 1 Lee Chong Wei.

Zii Jia showed composure and great mental strength to beat World No 1 Kento Momota and World No 2 Viktor Axelsen en route to the men’s singles crown.

The 23-year-old’s 30-29, 20-22, 21-9 win over Axelsen shows that he can maintain his nerves in high-pressure.

Zii Jia certainly has the skill and mental strength, which most Malaysian players lack, to sustain and beat top shuttlers.

The world is now at Zii Jia’s feet as he certainly has the potential to be as successful as Lee Chong Wei or even better than the three-time Olympic silver medallist.

The BA of Malaysia (BAM) will have to plan and help Zii Jia accordingly to achieve greatness as the Kedah-born definitely has the potential to upset the form book at the Tokyo Olympics, especially after beating two of the best players in the world in Birmingham.