Famous Malaysian Sportspersons

Malaysian badminton player Lee Zii Jia has gold medals in the Asian Championships, the Asia Team Championships, and the Southeast Asian Games. He began his training in badminton at age 6 and later joined the Bukit Jalil Sports School. He made headlines when he was banned by the Badminton Association of Malaysia temporarily.

Two-time Olympic medalist Pandelela Rinong was scouted for state diving at the age of 7. Born into a modest family of a contractor, she initially dreamed of becoming an air stewardess and of traveling the world. She scripted history as the first Malaysian female to win an Olympic medal.

Malaysian track cyclist Azizulhasni Awang, also known as The Pocket Rocketman, has both an Olympic bronze and silver in his kitty. Adopted as a child, he took up cycling at age 10. While studying sports science in Australia, he became the first non-Australian to get a Blue Award from Victoria University.

Alex Yoong is a Malaysian racing driver best known for winning the Malaysian Championship in 1995. Alex Yoong became the first Malaysian racer to compete in Formula One when he took part in the 2001 Italian Grand Prix. 
 

Muhammad Hafiz Hashim is a former Malaysian badminton player who won the 2003 All England Open Badminton Championships. He is counted amongst the most successful Malay badminton players. As a player, he was known for his cool approach on the court regardless of his opponent. He became a coach after his retirement. His brother Roslin is a former world No.1. 

Soh Wooi Yik is a Malaysian professional badminton player who achieved international acclaim when he won the bronze medal in the men's doubles event at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Soh Wooi Yik has also won medals at Asian Championships, Southeast Asian Games, and World Junior Championships.

Farah Ann Abdul Hadi is a Malaysian former professional artistic gymnast best known for winning seven gold medals at the Southeast Asian Games. Farah Ann Abdul Hadi also won two silver medals and three bronze medals at the Southeast Asian Games over the course of her career.

Malaysian footballer Dominic Tan is best known as a defender for Sabah FC. Starting his career with Singapore Sports School, he has later played for teams such as Harimau Muda C and Police Tero. He has also represented the Malaysian U-19, U-23, and senior national teams.

Mohamadou Sumareh is best known as a winger for Johor Darul Ta'zim. Known as Keliboy, Sumareh was born in Gambia but moved to Malaysia with his father at age 12. He has been part of the PDRM teams that have won the People's Cup and Malaysia Premier League.

Goh Liu Ying is a Malaysian badminton player best known for winning the silver medal in the mixed doubles event at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Goh Liu Ying has also won gold medals at Asian Championships, Commonwealth Games, and Southeast Asian Games.

Goh V Shem is a Malaysian professional badminton player best known for winning the silver medal in the men's doubles event at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Renowned for his offensive style of play, Goh V Shem has also won medals at the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, Asian Championships, and Southeast Asian Games.

Misbun Sidek is a Malaysian former badminton player best known for winning the bronze medal in the men's doubles event at the 1980 World Championships in Jakarta. He has also won medals at important tournaments like World Cups, Thomas Cup, Southeast Asian Games, and Asian Championships. Sidek is currently serving as the team director of the national junior badminton team.

Chan Peng Soon is a Malaysian badminton player who specializes in the mixed doubles event. Chan is renowned for his partnership with Goh Liu Ying and the two achieved international prominence when they won the silver medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Chan has also won medals at Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, and Southeast Asian Games.

Malaysian badminton sensation Aaron Chia is best known for his successful partnership with fellow Malaysian badminton player Soh Wooi Yik. He has an Asia Team Championships team gold and a Southeast Asian Games doubles gold in his kitty. He and Soh Wooi Yik also won an Olympic bronze.

Goh Jin Wei is a Malaysian badminton player who won the 2015 and 2018 BWF World Junior Championships. She also won the girls' singles title at the 2018 Youth Olympics. She started playing badminton at the age of six and was encouraged by her father to pursue it professionally and was drafted into the Malaysia national team in 2014.  

Malaysian badminton player Wong Mew Choo is a 2-time Commonwealth Games gold medal winner and also has 2 Southeast Asian Games gold medals in her kitty. However, her career has mostly been riddled with injuries. She is married to fellow Malaysian badminton star Lee Chong Wei.

Safee Sali is a Malaysian professional football player who represented the Malaysia national team from 2006 to 2017 when he announced his retirement from national duties. A veteran at club level, Sali helped KL City FC win the Malaysia Cup in 2021. Safee Sali has also won the Malaysian Charity Shield, Malaysia Super League, and Malaysian FA Cup.

Wong Choong Hann is a Malaysian former badminton player. In 2003, he became the first player from Malaysia to win a medal at the BWF World Championships in the men's singles event when he won the silver medal. During his career, Wong Choong Hann also won medals at the Commonwealth Games, Southeast Asian Games, and Asian Games.

Nur Dhabitah Sabri is a Malaysian professional diver best known for winning three bronze medals at the Commonwealth Games, including two medals at the 2018 Games in Gold Coast, Queensland. She has also won several gold medals at the Southeast Asian Games. In 2017, Nur Dhabitah Sabri was chosen to light up the cauldron at the Southeast Asian Games.

Malaysian badminton player and coach Rashid Sidek has had an illustrious playing career, winning 2 Asian Championships, 2 Asian Cups, and 2 Commonwealth Games, among other championships. He has also coached the national badminton team and the para-badminton team, leading Cheah Liek Hou to a Paralympic gold medal win.

Yau-Man Chan is a Malaysian technology executive, table tennis player, and reality television participant. He is best known for appearing on the popular reality television series Survivor: Fiji. He also went on to participate in Survivor: Micronesia, where he became the third contestant to be eleminated. 

Hairul Azreen is a Malaysian martial artist, stuntman, and actor. An exponent of Taekwondo, Azreen is known for appearing in Malaysian action films like PASKAL: The Movie and Polis EVO 2. Also a popular TV personality, Azreen has taken part in reality series like Fear Factor Selebriti Malaysia where he won the first place along with Dazrin Kamaruddin in 2013.  

Roslin Hashim is a former Malaysian badminton player who played badminton at the 2004 Summer Olympics in men's singles. He was placed just behind the bronze medalist Soni Dwi Kuncoro of Indonesia. He was regarded as a controversial figure during his career and once threatened to take the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) to court. 

Liew Daren is a Malaysian professional badminton player who won the 2012 French Open Super Series. He began playing badminton at the age of seven and turned professional in 1998. He competed at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games and 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, representing Malaysia. He reached the 2014 Thomas Cup finals, where he lost to Takuma Ueda from Japan. 

Malaysian diver Cheong Jun Hoong is not just an Olympic silver medalist but has also scripted history by becoming the first Malaysian diving world champion. She began training in aquatics at age 4 and focused on diving at age 9. She was apparently dropped from the national team due to budget cuts.

Koo Kien Keat is a Malaysian retired badminton player best known for winning five gold medals at two Commonwealth Games in 2006 and 2010. A former world number 1, Koo Kien Keat also won medals at other prominent tournaments like World Championships, Asian Games, and Asian Championships.
 

Soniia Cheah Su Ya is a Malaysian badminton player who won her first international title at the 2016 Belgian International tournament. She started playing badminton as a young girl and represented Malaysia at the 2009, 2010, and 2011 Asian Junior Championships. She won the silver medal in the women's singles event at the Southeast Asian Games in 2017.  

Razie Rahim is a Malaysian professional hockey player. He is known as a penalty corner specialist and has helped his national team win silver medals at the 2010 and 2018 Asian Games. Razie Rahim also helped his team win the gold medal at the 2017 Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur. 

Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin is a Malaysian former badminton player turned coach. He represented his nation as the third singles in the 2018 Thomas Cup and helped Malaysia qualify for the quarter-finals. He became a coach after retirement and was appointed as part of the Irish badminton coaching staff in 2021. He is expected to coach in Ireland in 2022. 

Zulfadli Zulkiffli is a Malaysian former badminton player who emerged as the boys' singles gold medalist at the 2011 Asian and World Junior Championships. He also clinched the gold medal at the Commonwealth Youth Games the same year. He was banned from all badminton-related activities for 20 years over match-fixing violations in 2018.   

Leong Mun Yee is a Malaysian retired professional diver best known for winning two bronze medals and a silver medal at the World Championships. Leong Mun Yee also won many gold medals at the Southeast Asian Games during her diving career. In 2008, she competed in the Summer Olympics, becoming the first Malaysian diver to participate in three Olympic Games.

Woon Khe Wei is a Malaysian former badminton player who primarily played in the doubles events. Her regular partner was Vivian Hoo and the duo was ranked as high as No. 9 worldwide. Together, they won the gold medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and reached the quarterfinals in the 2016 Olympics. She retired in December 2018. 

Julian Yee is a Malaysian professional figure skater best known for his performance in the 2017 and 2019 Southeast Asian Games. He won gold medals in both tournaments in the men’s singles event. A five-time Malaysian national champion, Julian Yee represented his country at the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea.

Shevon Jemie Lai is a Malaysian badminton player who won the Romanian International tournament in the mixed doubles event with Wong Fai Yin in 2016. She started playing badminton at her primary school and joined the Malaysia national badminton team in 2011. She competed at the Summer Universiade in Kazan, Russia, in 2013 and the Singapore International Series in 2014. 

Leong Jun Hao is a Malaysian professional badminton player. He achieved national prominence in 2022 when he won the gold medal in the men's team event at the Asia Team Championships in Selangor, Malaysia. He first achieved popularity in 2017 when he won the gold medal in the boys' singles event at the Asian Junior Championships in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Gavin Green is a Malaysian professional golfer who won three times on the Asian Development Tour, once in 2014 and twice in 2016. He qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics though he failed to win any medal. He played on the Asian Tour in 2017 and won the Mercuries Taiwan Masters. His brother Galven Green is also a golfer. 

Tan Kim Her is a Malaysian former badminton player and coach. He partnered with Soo Beng Kiang and competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics in men's doubles. They made it to the semi-finals, where the duo lost to the eventual gold medallists, Rexy Mainaky and Ricky Subagja of Indonesia. He is currently Japan's men's doubles coach.

Chong Wei Feng is a Malaysian retired badminton player who reached the semi-finals of the 2012 and 2013 China Open. However, he was defeated by Chen Long on both occasions. He started playing badminton at the age of nine and was drafted into the national team through the Badminton Association of Malaysia annual selections in 2004. He retired in 2016. 

Kisona Selvaduray is a Malaysian badminton player who won her first senior international title at the Indonesia International Series tournament in the women's singles event in 2017. She also won the gold medal at the Southeast Asian Games tournament in the women's singles event and the bronze medal as part of the women’s team in 2019.  

Razif Sidek is a Malaysian former badminton player and coach. One of the famous five Sidek brothers, he received his initial training in badminton from his father, Haji Mohd Sidek. He regularly partnered with his younger brother, Jalani, and they became one of the best doubles pairs in the world in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Khair Jones is a Malaysian professional football player who has been a part of the Malaysia national football team since 2016. A defender, Jones has had success in the Malaysia Super League where he has represented teams like Melaka United and Sarawak United. In 2016, Khair Jones helped Melaka United win the Malaysia Premier League.

Cheah Soon Kit is a Malaysian former badminton player and coach. He was one of the top doubles stars in the world in his prime and was especially known for his amazing jumping smash. He partnered with Yap Kim Hock to win the Olympic silver medal in Atlanta in 1996. He became a successful coach after his retirement. 

Cheam June Wei is a Malaysian professional badminton player who achieved national prominence in 2014 when he won the gold medal in the mixed doubles event at the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China. Cheam June Wei is best known for winning the silver medal in the men's team event at the 2020 Asia Team Championships in Manila.

Misbun Ramdan Misbun is a Malaysian badminton player who achieved national prominence in 2009 when he won silver and bronze medals at the World Junior Championships and Asian Junior Championships respectively. He is also known as the son of former international player Misbun Sidek.