Olympic champion at Athens 2004 and World Champion — Indonesia's greatest male badminton player before the Kevin Sanjaya era. Widely considered to possess the finest backhand smash in badminton history, his match-winning ability against China's top players was extraordinary. A cultural icon in Indonesia, where badminton is the national sport, his Athens triumph was celebrated nationwide.
Taufik Hidayat was born in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia in 1981. He won the Olympic gold medal at Athens 2004 — the first Indonesian Olympic gold in badminton. He won the World Championship in 2005. His backhand smash — played from the rear court — was clocked at over 300 km/h and is considered the most technically impressive single shot in badminton history. His playing style was creative and unpredictable — the opposite of the systematic Chinese approach. He represented Indonesian badminton's individual brilliance at a time when China dominated by system and volume.
Olympic gold medal and powerful backhand
How They Played
Aggressive attacking player with exceptional backhand
Lasting Impact
One of Indonesia's greatest badminton players
Olympic Gold 2004
Career Honours
- Olympic Gold 2004
- World Champion 2005
- All England Open 2004