Quick Facts
Biography
Razif Sidek (born 29 May 1962 in Banting, Selangor) is a former professional badminton player from Malaysia and coach.
Personal life
He is the second eldest of the famous five Sidek brothers. Razif and his siblings gained exposure about badminton sport from their father, Haji Mohd Sidek. 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, table tennis and football and even playing at the 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 team alongside his brothers Misbun Sidek, Jalani Sidek and Ong Beng Teong. In 1979 after finishing high school, he and his brother Jalani 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
- Commonwealth Games 1982 (bronze medal)
- SEA Games 1983 (bronze medal)
Doubles
with Jalani Sidek
- All England Champion 1982
- Canadian Open Champion 1983, 1984, 1991
- Malaysian Open Champion 1985, 1986, 1987
- Japanese Open Champion 1986
- Taiwan Open Champion 1986, 1989, 1991
- Denmark Open Champion 1987
- Hong Kong Open Champion 1988, 1989
- Indonesian Open Champion 1988, 1990
- Singapore Open Champion 1989
- China Open Champion 1989
- Australian Open Champion 1989
- US Open Champion 1991
with Leong Chai Lean
- SEA Games, Bangkok, 1985