For eight straight years in the 1980s, nobody in India could take the national men’s singles badminton title away from Syed Modi. A tall, attacking player from a small town in eastern Uttar Pradesh, he dominated the domestic game, won Commonwealth Games gold in 1982 and became one of the best-known sportsmen in the country. His career was cut short in July 1988, when he was shot dead in Lucknow at the age of 25. The country’s leading international badminton tournament now carries his name.
Name: Syed Modi (Syed Mehdi Hassan Zaidi) | Born: 31 December 1962, Sardarnagar, near Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh | Died: 28 July 1988, Lucknow | Sport: Badminton | Event: Men’s singles
Early years in Sardarnagar
Syed Mehdi Hassan Zaidi, known to his family as Babua, was born in Sardarnagar, near Chauri Chaura in Gorakhpur district. His father worked at the local sugar mill, and he was the youngest of eight children. Money was tight, and his older brothers helped to pay for his early coaching. The investment paid off quickly. In 1976, aged 14, he became the national junior champion, and it was clear that Indian badminton had found a serious talent.
Eight national titles in a row
Modi won his first senior national championship in 1980, the year Prakash Padukone was at his peak on the world stage. He then held the title every year until 1987, eight in succession. Only in 1988 did he finally lose the national crown. His game was built on reach, speed around the court and a hard-hitting attacking style, and for most of the decade he was simply a level above the rest of the domestic field.
In 1980 he joined Indian Railways as a welfare officer with the North Eastern Railway. He was first posted in Gorakhpur and moved to Lucknow in 1982 to train. The city became his base for the rest of his career.
Commonwealth gold in Brisbane
The high point came at the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane. Modi won the men’s singles gold medal, beating England’s Nick Yates in the final. It made him a national name and confirmed that India could produce more than one world-class men’s singles player. The Arjuna Award, India’s main honour for sporting achievement, had already come his way in 1981.
Asian Games and the international circuit
Later in 1982 the Asian Games were held in New Delhi, and Modi won a bronze medal in men’s singles in front of a home crowd. He also won bronze with the Indian men’s team, and he was part of the team that took bronze again at the 1986 Asian Games in Seoul. At the 1983 Asian Championships in Calcutta he helped India to a team silver.
On the European circuit he picked up titles too. He won the Austrian International men’s singles in 1983 and 1984, and the USSR International in 1985. These wins placed him among the leading Asian players of the period at a time when Chinese and Indonesian players set the standard.
Marriage and personal life
Modi married Ameeta Kulkarni, a fellow badminton player, on 14 May 1984. The couple had been engaged since 1982. Their daughter was born shortly before his death.
Death in Lucknow
On 28 July 1988, Modi was shot dead as he left the K. D. Singh Babu Stadium in Lucknow after a practice session. He was 25. His killing shocked the sporting world in India and led to a long criminal case that drew national attention for years.
A name kept alive
An All India badminton championship in his memory was started in Lucknow in the years after his death. The event grew over time into an international tournament. It became the Syed Modi International Challenge in 2004 and the Syed Modi Grand Prix from 2009, and since 2018 it has been part of the top level of the world tour as the Syed Modi International, a Super 300 event. Most editions have been played in Lucknow. Indian Railways also named the Syed Modi Railway Stadium in Gorakhpur after him, close to where his career began.
For many who watched him, the question of how far he might have gone remains open. He was still in his mid-twenties, still the leading player in the country for most of his career, and already a Commonwealth champion.
Career record and honours
- National junior champion: 1976
- National men’s singles champion: eight consecutive titles, 1980 to 1987
- Commonwealth Games: gold in men’s singles, Brisbane 1982
- Asian Games: bronze in men’s singles and men’s team, New Delhi 1982; bronze in men’s team, Seoul 1986
- Asian Championships: silver in men’s team, Calcutta 1983
- Austrian International men’s singles: 1983 and 1984
- USSR International men’s singles: 1985
- Arjuna Award: 1981
- Commemorated by the Syed Modi International tournament and the Syed Modi Railway Stadium, Gorakhpur