Misbun Sidek
| Misbun Sidek | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Nickname(s) | Bun |
| Birth name | Mohmed Misbun bin Mohamed Sidek |
| Country | Malaysia |
| Born | February 17, 1960 Banting, Selangor, Federation of Malaya (now Malaysia) |
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) |
| Years active | 1976 - 1989 |
| Handedness | Right |
| Event | Men's singles |
Medal record | |
| BWF profile | |
Dato' Misbun Sidek (born February 17, 1960) is a Malaysian former badminton player who rated among world's leading men's singles players of the 1980s. He is the eldest of the famous six Sidek brothers, all of whom were actively involved in international badminton scene. Though he failed to capture some of badminton's biggest titles such as the World Championships, All-Englands, and Asian Games, Misbun was known as a "giant killer," who, at his best, could defeat any top player of his era.
Childhood
Misbun received his early education in primary schools in Banting and then furthered his studies at Victoria Institution, Kuala Lumpur.
Datuk Sidek, his father, imagined his children becoming badminton aces starting with his first son, Misbun. By the age of seven in 1967, Misbun had begun to be seriously trained by his father at the badminton court in front of their house in Kampung Kanchong Darat, Banting, Selangor.
The same routine was later passed on to his brothers, Razif, Jalani, Rahman and Rashid, would form one badminton family teams from the early 1980s to the early 2000s. In this early stage of their training, Razif was the most disciplined, with Misbun the most mischievous, often relying on his talent.
Early achievements
At age 12 Misbun represented his school in badminton and by 15 he was the school champion. At the age of 16, he was selected to represent Malaysia at the Asian Championships in Hong Kong and at the Australian Open (Silver Bowl), following his victory in the 18 years-and-under category of the Schools Sports Council of Malaysia (MSSM) Championships. A year later Misbun was selected for Malaysia's Thomas Cup training squad with older players such as Suffian Abu Bakar, James Selvaraj, Saw Swee Leong, Phua Ah Hua, Moo Foot Lian, Ong Teong Boon, Ho Khim Soon and Kwek Chiew Peng. He also dominated national competitions for younger players, with a hat-trick (victories in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles) in the 18-and-under category in 1978 followed by another in the 21-and-under category a year later.
International career
Misbun won his first title on the international circuit at the 1981 German Open. He helped Malaysia's national squad to win the Silver medal at the SEA Games. In the team event, he beat Indonesia’s leading player and reigning All England champion Liem Swie King. For his triumphs in badminton, Misbun was named Malaysia's Sportsman of the Year, a feat he repeated two years later.
After defeating Lius Pongoh, Morten Frost, and Prakash Padukone on his way to the final, Misbun suffered a disappointment at the Badminton World Cup by failing to clinch the title from a 10-1 third-set lead over Liem Swie King. In addition to being the world cup runner-up, Misbun won the Swedish Open, and maintained his Malaysian national title in 1982.
In 1983, Misbun won three tournaments on the international circuit, defending his Swedish Open title in a tight final round duel with Morten Frost, and capturing his second German Open and the Canadian Open. He also placed third in the World Badminton Grand Prix finals. In the World Cup held in Kuala Lumpur he lost in the semifinals to the Indonesian players, Hastomo Arbi but his presence brought throngs of spectators to the National Stadium.
With his talent, looks and charisma, Misbun drew the attention of the international sports community.[citation needed] In October 1983, Misbun turned professional and signed a contract to be represented by the International Management Group (IMG), which then represented such sports stars as Björn Borg, Jimmy Connors, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Sebastian Coe and Alberto Salazar.
In 1984, Misbun performed the Hajj in Mecca at the age of 24. Later in the same month, Misbun got back on track to represent Malaysia at the Canadian Open.
In January 1985, the Sidek family made history when they became the largest sibling group ever to represent the country abroad in the same sporting event. Misbun, Razif, Jalani, Rahman and Rashid were all selected to compete at the Hong Kong Open.
In 1986, Misbun reached the final of the All-England Championships for the only time in his career but was beaten by Morten Frost. He also made a bid to defend his Malaysia Open title but was beaten in the final by Zhao Jianhua in two close games.
Misbun's last two titles on the international circuit both came in 1987 with victories at the Chinese Taipei Open (over doubles great Park Joo Bong) and the Singapore Open (over Eddy Kurniawan). However, Misbun's last full year at the top level of badminton, 1988, was rather special to him because he played on a Malaysia Thomas Cup team which defeated their traditional rival Indonesia for the first time in 21 years before losing the final to China. A year later, Misbun decided to retire at the age of 29.
Coaching and later playing
After retiring, Misbun acted as an assistant coach of the Malaysian national team before venturing into the car business.
Misbun was on the coaching staff, and his brother Rashid Sidek played first singles, for the 1992 Malaysia team which captured the Thomas Cup after a 25 year drought. He has coached Malaysia's leading singles players from the 1990s forward including Rashid, the Hashim brothers, Roslin and Muhammad Hafiz, and Lee Chong Wei. In the mid-1990s Misbun Sidek regained the desire to play competitive badminton, though on a somewhat smaller stage. Between 1994 and 2000 he won seven consecutive Selangor (state) Open championships. In 2002 he won gold medals at the World Masters Games in Melbourne, Australia for age 35-and-over men's singles and mixed doubles and for the national team competition there.
Achievements
Titles (8)
| Year | Tournament | Opponent in final | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | German Open (1) |  Syed Modi
|
18-17, 15-10 |
| 1982 | Swedish Open (1) |  Icuk Sugiarto
|
9-15, 18-14, 15-13 |
| 1983 | Swedish Open (2) |  Morten Frost Hansen
|
9-15, 15-10, 15-13 |
| 1983 | German Open (2) | Steen Fladberg
|
18-13, 15-6 |
| 1983 | Canadian Open | Jens Peter Nierhoff
|
15-6, 11-15, 15-12 |
| 1985 | Malaysia Open | Michael Kjeldsen
|
18-16, 15-3 |
| 1987 | Chinese Taipei Open |  Park Joo Bong
|
5-15, 15-9, 15-3 |
| 1987 | Singapore Open | Eddy Kurniawan
|
15-13, 15-8 |
Runners-up (4)
| Year | Tournament | Opponent in final | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | World Cup | Liem Swie King
|
12-15, 15-3, 12-15 |
| 1986 | All England Open | Morten Frost Hansen
|
2-15, 8-15 |
| 1986 | Malaysia Open |  Zhao Jianhua
|
10-15, 13-15 |
| 1986 | China Open | Icuk Sugiarto
|
11-15, 13-15 |
Family and marriage
Misbun Sidek is the eldest son of Dato' Haji Sidek and the brother of Razif Sidek, Jalani Sidek, Rahman Sidek, Rashid Sidek, Shahrizan Sidek and Zamaliah Sidek.
In 1984 a badminton player and fan was introduced by Sidek to his future wife Latifah. They married three years later. The couple has had eight children but two have died. The six surviving children are (ages as of May 2011) Misbun Syawal Misbun, 21, twins, Lia Murni and Misbun Ramdan Misbun, 20, Lia Alifah, 16, Lia Dewi Rubita, 15 and Misbun Awalauddin, 11.