“It’s quite weird.” – The words of Lee Zii Jia, describing his fitness struggles in the weeks since claiming badminton men’s singles bronze at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

The Malaysian crashed out of the BWF China Open in the opening round on Tuesday, having missed tournaments in Korea and Hong Kong.

“I was leading [comfortably] at the start of the first game but I could not take the win,” he told the Badminton World Federation (BWF).

“My condition is not the best yet. I still have to keep working to get back to my best condition. To be honest, I have not spoken to the media about this. After the Olympics, my body condition is quite weird. I have a lot of injuries coming on and I don’t know why.

“I just can’t recover 100%. Once I train with some intensity, I feel soreness everywhere, like my elbow and knee, and my back gets stiff.”

The issues may threaten Zii Jia’s chances of finishing in the top eight at the end of the season in the Race to the Finals. He dropped to sixth in the latest BWF World Tour 2024 rankings released on Tuesday.

“I will probably be going to the Arctic Open next [October 8-13] and hopefully there will be more good news there.

“I have to get back to my best condition to qualify for the World Tour Finals.”