Syed Modi
| Syed Modi | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | Babua by family and friends | ||||||||||||||||||
| Birth name | Syed Mehdi | ||||||||||||||||||
| Country |
 India
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| Born | 1962 Sardarnagar, Gorakhpur district, Uttar Pradesh |
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| Died | 28 July 1988 Lucknow |
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| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Years active | 1976-1988 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coach | Dipu Ghosh | ||||||||||||||||||
| Men's singles | |||||||||||||||||||
| Career title(s) | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Syed Modi (1962–1988), born as Syed Mehdi, was an Indian badminton singles player. He was eight-time National Badminton champion (1980–87). His most notable achievement at the international badminton circuit came in the form of men's singles title at the 1982 Commonwealth Games. He also won three other international titles, namely Austrian International (in 1983 & 1984) and USSR International (in 1985), both of which were European Badminton Circuit tournaments.
Modi's career was cut short in his prime when he was shot dead on 28 July 1988 in Lucknow as he came out of the K. D. Singh Babu Stadium after a practice session. The murder sent shockwaves through India, especially after the police filed murder charges against Modi's wife Ameeta Modi and her lover (and future husband) Raja Sanjay Singh of Amethi, who was also a badminton player.
Syed Modi was born into a Muslim family in the mofussil town of Sardarnagar, 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from Chauri Chaura in Uttar Pradesh. He grew up there, but his family hailed from Zaidi Sadat Kandipur (or Kadipur) near Jalalpur town in Ambedkar Nagar District, Uttar Pradesh. His father, Syed Meer Hassan Zaidi, worked in Sardarnagar sugar mill and his mother was a housewife. Syed Modi was the youngest of their eight children (six sons and two daughters). Modi's elder brothers were educated, but they worked and contributed significantly towards meeting family expenses and supporting Modi in his childhood, including for his badminton coaching, after it became clear that he had the potential to become a great player.
When Modi first began going to the local school, the person who entered his name in the school roster mistook his name "Mehdi" for the more common Indian surname "Modi" and wrote it down that way. As a result, this became his name in all educational and government records and he did not take the trouble to rectify the matter in adulthood. In school, Modi achieved only average grades in his academics but became a notable sportsman. He was very popular in school for his open, affectionate nature and bright good looks. His elder brothers doted on him and financed his training as required. Far from considering him a burden, they pinned their hopes on him earning a good name and bringing honour, pride and happiness to his parents in their old age, after a lifetime of poverty and struggle.
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