Razif Sidek

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Razif Sidek
Personal information
Nickname(s) Ajib
Birth name Mohamad Razif bin Mohd Sidek
Country Malaysia
Born (1962-05-29) 29 May 1962 (age 61)
Banting, Selangor, Malaysia
Height 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight 70 kg (150 lb; 11 st)
Years active 1980-1994
Handedness Right
Men's doubles
BWF profile

Razif Sidek (born 29 May 1962 in Banting, Selangor) is a former professional badminton player from Malaysia.

Personal life

He is the second eldest of the five Sidek brothers. Razif and his siblings gained exposure about badminton sport from their father, Haji Mohd Sidek. Growing up with a support system that revolved around Badminton, Razif became a walking proof for one of the most uplifting sportsmen in his era. Under the guidance of his father, Razif and the rest of his siblings were trained to be champions. Razif Sidek is the alumnus of Victoria Institution (batch 1975-1979).

Career

Junior years

He started to play badminton when he was 7 years old. He loves the sport because his father also plays badminton. When he was a school boy, he played all types of sports beside badminton such as athletics, sepak takraw, ping pong and soccer and even playing at school and state level.

At the age of 9, he entered the state team. He won the MSSM title for both under 15 and under 18 in both categories singles and doubles. When he was 14, he was already in the national junior squad. At 18 years old, he was drafted to the senior national team alongside his brothers Misbun Sidek, Jalani Sidek and Ong Beng Teong. In 1979 after finishing high school, he and his brother Jalani and were sent to London for 1 month by the BAM for friendly matches. Then in 1980 All England Championship, they reached the semi-final.

Dominance

His regular partner is his younger brother, Jalani. Razif won a gold medal for Malaysia at the 1982 Commonwealth Games doubles with Ong Beng Teong. They made the nation sit up and take notice when they won the All England Championships in 1982 after beating the Scottish pair, Billy Gilliland and Dan Travers.

The Sidek brothers won almost every title on offer during their playing career, including the World Grand Prix, World Cup, SEA Games, Commonwealth Games and Asian Championships. They introduced the infamous “S” Service, which caused a deceptively erratic shuttle movement, which confounded their opponents and officials alike. The service caused much uproar and was eventually banned by the International Badminton Federation (IBF).

He was also a member of the Malaysian squad that won the Thomas Cup for the first time in 25 years, in a 3-2 victory over Indonesia at the National Stadium in 1992. He created history by becoming the first Malaysian athlete to win an Olympic Games medal in Barcelona 1992. They won a bronze medal for Malaysia after reaching the semi-finals in the men's doubles category where they lost to the Korean pair, Park Joo-bong and Kim Moon-Soo.

During his career with Jalani, they become one of the best four doubles pair in the world (Park Joo-bong/Kim Moon-soo, Rudy Gunawan/Eddy Hartono and Tian Bingyi/Li Yongbo) from the 1980s until the early 1990s. After he retired as a badminton player, he was appointed as Malaysian national coach from 1994 until 1996.

Achievements

Singles

Doubles

with Jalani Sidek

with Leong Chai Lean

See also

External links