Template:Short description Template:Infobox badminton player
Rudy Hartono Kurniawan (born Nio Hap Liang (Template:Lang-zh);<ref name="Suryadinata2012">Template:Cite book</ref> 18 August 1949) is an Indonesian former badminton player holding the record of winning the men's singles title at the All-England Championship eight times,<ref name="no.8">Template:Cite news</ref> including seven times consecutively from 1968 to 1974.<ref name="7-in-a-row">Template:Cite news</ref> He won the World Championship in 1980 on his only attempt at this title. Widely regarded as a badminton icon, he is considered to be one of the greatest badminton players of all time.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="greatest">Template:Cite news</ref>
Early lifeEdit
Hartono was born on 18 August 1949 as Nio Hap Liang in Surabaya. He is the son of Zulkarnain Kurniawan and the third child of eight siblings in the family.<ref name="changeofcourt">Template:Cite news</ref> His sister Utami Dewi is a five-time national badminton champion and former Indonesia Uber Cup team member.<ref name="Suryadinata2012" /> The family lived in Jalan Basuki Rachmat and owned tailoring and dairy farming businesses.<ref name="changeofcourt" /> The young Hartono embraced many types of sports, including athletics, swimming, volleyball, football, and roller skating, but his athletic path soon led him towards badminton.<ref name="Suryadinata2012" />
At age 11, Hartono started formal badminton training under the tutelage of his father. He would train for almost the entire day in a small badminton club set up by his father in a railway station warehouse.<ref name="changeofcourt" /> In 1961, he entered his first tournament at the Surabaya's junior championship when he was 12 and won.<ref name="successstory">Template:Cite news</ref> After leaving his father's club, Hartono would later play for the much bigger Rajawali Club where many good Indonesian badminton players were trained. At age 15, he won the national junior championship.<ref name="Suryadinata2012" /><ref name="successstory" /> While competing in municipal tournaments, the teenage Hartono soon caught the eye of the national scouts and was drafted into the National Training Center in late 1965 to help the national team in the upcoming Thomas Cup.<ref name="TIMEMagazine" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Badminton careerEdit
As a member of the 1967 Thomas Cup squad, Hartono won all of his matches, but Indonesia was beaten by Malaysia in a highly controversial final in which play was suspended due to the unruly crowd. Both teams were later offered a chance to resume their clash in New Zealand but Indonesia declined, thus handing Malaysia the cup.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
A year later, on his first try at the All England Championships, the 18-year-old Hartono became the youngest ever champion of the tournament, beating Tan Aik Huang from Malaysia who had been the winner two years earlier.<ref name="rhallengfirst">Template:Cite news</ref> From then on, he dominated the event like very few had before, winning seven titles consecutively from 1968 to 1974.<ref name="7-in-a-row" /> In 1975, in search of his eighth consecutive title and the chance to break Erland Kops’s record of seven, Hartono would once again face the challenge of his archrival, Svend Pri, who he had beaten before in the 1970 and 1972 finals, but this time he was not able to fend off the Dane’s attack and fell to a 11–15, 14–17 defeat.<ref name="spendsrhreign">Template:Cite news</ref> Hartono, however, came back the following year to win his eighth title against his compatriot Liem Swie King thus becoming the most successful men’s singles player in the history of the tournament.<ref name="successstory" /> His eight titles at the All England also earned Hartono a mention in the Guinness Book of Records.<ref name="greatest" /> In 1978, Hartono would return to try his hand for a ninth title, but he could not overcome Liem Swie King and lost 10–15, 3–15 in the final.<ref name="ninthtry">Template:Cite news</ref> He attempted another comeback in 1981, but lost in the semi-finals to Prakash Padukone in a three sets battle, 15–10, 7–15, 8–15.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Besides his All England success, Hartono won many international open titles throughout his career. In 1969, he won the Canadian<ref name="rhcanadian">Template:Cite news</ref> and the US Open<ref name="rhus">Template:Cite news</ref> titles after defeating Sture Johnsson and his compatriot Muljadi in the respective finals. In the same year, he also won both the Singapore Open men's singles and doubles titles. He defeated Muljadi in the singles final and partnered with Indratno to beat Lee Wah Chin and Yeo Ah Seng in the doubles final.<ref name="rhsingapore">Template:Cite news</ref> In 1971, he won his second Canadian Open title<ref name="rh2ndcanadian">Template:Cite news</ref> and clinched his first Denmark Open title<ref name="rhdenmark">Template:Cite news</ref> after defeating Ippei Kojima on both occasions. He also competed in the Western Indian Championship that year and won a hat trick of titles, beating Muljadi in the men's singles final, partnered with Indra Gunawan to beat Muljadi and Sumiratta in the men's doubles final and partnered with Rafia Latif to beat Indra Gunawan and Sunila Ape in the mixed doubles final.<ref name="rhwindian">Template:Cite news</ref> In 1973 and 1975, Hartono won his second and third Denmark Open titles after beating Flemming Delfs and Svend Pri respectively.<ref name="rh2nddenmark">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="rh3rddenmark">Template:Cite news</ref> In 1981, he would win his maiden Japan Open title after beating his compatriot Lius Pongoh in the final.<ref name="rhjapan">Template:Cite news</ref>
Hartono also had some success in major games. At the 1970 Asian Games held in Bangkok, he won gold in the men's team event<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and two bronze in the men's doubles and mixed doubles events.<ref name="asiangames1970">Template:Cite news</ref> In 1971, he would win another gold at the Asian Championships where Indonesia defeated Malaysia in the men's team final.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In the 1972 Munich Games in which badminton was presented as a demonstration sport, Hartono won the men’s singles event, after beating Jamie Paulson of Canada in the first round, Sture Johnsson of Sweden in the semi-finals, and Svend Pri of Denmark in the final.<ref name="olygold">Template:Cite news</ref> In his attempt to win an 'official' world championships, Hartono participated in the 1980 IBF World Championships held in Jakarta and managed to reach the final where he would meet his successor Liem Swie King. In a final that lacked intensity, Hartono prevailed in two straight games with the score of 15–9, 15–9.<ref name="wcgold">Template:Cite news</ref>
Since his debut in 1967, Hartono remained active in the Thomas Cup competition and continued to play for his country at the event from 1970 to 1982. The 1970,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 1973,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 1976,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and 1979<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Thomas Cup would turn out to be a resounding success for Hartono and his team, with Indonesia sweeping four straight titles. At the 1982 Thomas Cup Finals, the aging Hartono once again answered the call of his nation but his play was not on par with his previous performances and he was not able to help his team to prevent China from winning their first ever Thomas Cup title.<ref name="greatest" /> Hartono’s defeat in the third singles to Luan Jin was only his second defeat in the competition<ref name="retired" /> with the first coming in 1973 when he lost against his long-time nemesis Svend Pri.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After the competition, Hartono announced his retirement, saying "I believe I have to retire now... Actually, I was already retired. But this was the Thomas Cup and my country needed me and because I live in Indonesia and I love Indonesia, I must do what they ask."<ref name="retired">Template:Cite news</ref>
Post-retirementEdit
Hartono became involved with the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI), holding different positions such as Chairman of Development Affairs until 2006. He is currently a member of PBSI’s Board of Honour. Hartono also played an active role within the Badminton World Federation (BWF). He was a member of the Council in 1985-1986, and later from 1994 to 2009. Hartono’s image and reputation led the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to appoint him as a Goodwill Ambassador for Indonesia.<ref name="greatest" />
Hartono who attended the Economics Faculty of Trisakti University, Jakarta, also began to expand his business after his retirement. He ventured into dairy business in Sukabumi and also the sports equipment business by acting as an agent for brands such as Mikasa, Ascot and Yonex. Then through PT Havilah Citra Footwear founded in 1996, he imported various kinds of sportswear.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Personal lifeEdit
Hartono married Jane Anwar in 1976<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and they have two children, a son (Christopher) and a daughter (Christine).<ref name="changeofcourt" />
In the late 70s and early 80s, age began to catch up to Hartono and he started losing matches. This resulted in his depression. He credits a preacher for his "conversion experience" to Christianity during his mid-30s. Later, the death of Svend Pri in 1983 prompted Hartono to preach about Jesus to others.<ref name="changeofcourt" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 1988, Hartono had coronary bypass surgery in Australia.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Since 1989, Hartono has been extremely active with his church ministry. In 2001, Hartono became associate pastor of Bethel Church in Jakarta, Indonesia.<ref name="changeofcourt" />
A film lover, Hartono once starred in an Indonesian movie titled "Matinja Seorang Bidadari" (Death of An Angel) in 1971.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Hartono also had a wax sculpture in his likeness at the Madame Tussauds museum in Singapore.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Honours and awardsEdit
- 1969 and 1974 – SIWO/PWI best athlete<ref name="greatest" />
- 1985 – IBF Distinguished Service Award<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- 1986 – IBF Herbert Scheele Trophy<ref name="greatest" />
- 1987 – Honorary Diploma from the International Committee For Fair Play (CIFP)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- 1988 – Fair Play Award from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- 1997 – IBF Hall of Fame<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- 2000 – Republic of Indonesia's Honorary Sign for Bintang Mahaputera Utama<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- 2006 – Asian Heroes, TIME Magazine<ref name="TIMEMagazine" />
AchievementsEdit
Olympic Games (demonstration)Edit
Men's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Volleyballhalle, Munich, West Germany | Template:Flagicon Svend Pri | 15–6, 15–1 | File:Gold medal.svg Gold | <ref name="olygold" /> |
World ChampionshipsEdit
Men's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Istora Senayan, Jakarta, Indonesia | Template:Flagicon Liem Swie King | 15–9, 15–9 | Gold Gold | <ref name="wcgold" /> |
Asian GamesEdit
Men's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Kittikachorn Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand | Template:Flagicon Indra Gunawan | Template:Flagicon Punch Gunalan Template:Flagicon Ng Boon Bee |
12–15, 15–10, 10–15 | Bronze Bronze | <ref name="asiangames1970" /> |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Kittikachorn Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand | Template:Flagicon Minarni | Template:Flagicon Bandid Jaiyen Template:Flagicon Achara Pattabongs |
Walkover | Bronze Bronze | <ref name="asiangames1970" /> |
International tournaments (25 titles, 10 runners-up)Edit
Men's singles
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Perak Open | Template:Flagicon Tan Aik Huang | 8–15, 15–11, 3–15 | Template:Silver2 Runner-up | <ref>Template:Cite news</ref> |
| 1968 | All England Open | Template:Flagicon Tan Aik Huang | 15–12, 15–9 | Template:Gold1 Winner | <ref name="rhallengfirst" /> |
| 1968 | Singapore Pesta | Template:Flagicon Darmadi | 9–15, 15–7, 10–15 | Template:Silver2 Runner-up | <ref>Template:Cite news</ref> |
| 1968 | Northern Indian | Template:Flagicon Muljadi | 15–2, 15–10 | Template:Gold1 Winner | <ref name="rhnorthindian">Template:Cite news</ref> |
| 1968 | Western Indian | Template:Flagicon Darmadi | 17–14, 18–14 | Template:Gold1 Winner | <ref name="rhwestindian">Template:Cite news</ref> |
| 1969 | All England Open | Template:Flagicon Darmadi | 15–1, 15–3 | Template:Gold1 Winner | <ref>Template:Cite news</ref> |
| 1969 | U.S. Open | Template:Flagicon Muljadi | 15–9, 15–12 | Template:Gold1 Winner | <ref name="rhus" /> |
| 1969 | Canadian Open | Template:Flagicon Sture Johnsson | 15–11, 15–1 | Template:Gold1 Winner | <ref name="rhcanadian" /> |
| 1969 | Singapore Open | Template:Flagicon Muljadi | 15–7, 15–4 | Template:Gold1 Winner | <ref name="rhsingapore" /> |
| 1970 | All England Open | Template:Flagicon Svend Pri | 15–7, 15–1 | Template:Gold1 Winner | <ref>Template:Cite news</ref> |
| 1971 | Western Indian | Template:Flagicon Muljadi | 15–11, 15–12 | Template:Gold1 Winner | <ref name="rhwindian" /> |
| 1971 | Denmark Open | Template:Flagicon Ippei Kojima | 14–18, 15–14, 15–11 | Template:Gold1 Winner | <ref name="rhdenmark" /> |
| 1971 | All England Open | Template:Flagicon Muljadi | 15–1, 15–5 | Template:Gold1 Winner | <ref name="rhaeng2t">Template:Cite news</ref> |
| 1971 | Canadian Open | Template:Flagicon Ippei Kojima | 15–7, 15–2 | Template:Gold1 Winner | <ref name="rh2ndcanadian" /> |
| 1971 | U.S. Open | Template:Flagicon Muljadi | 8–15, 9–15 | Template:Silver2 Runner-up | <ref>Template:Cite news</ref> |
| 1972 | All England Open | Template:Flagicon Svend Pri | 15–9, 15–4 | Template:Gold1 Winner | <ref>Template:Cite news</ref> |
| 1972 | Jakarta Open | Template:Flagicon Iie Sumirat | 15–4, 15–5 | Template:Gold1 Winner | <ref>Template:Cite news</ref> |
| 1973 | All England Open | Template:Flagicon Christian Hadinata | 15–4, 15–2 | Template:Gold1 Winner | <ref>Template:Cite news</ref> |
| 1973 | Denmark Open | Template:Flagicon Flemming Delfs | 17–14, 15–12 | Template:Gold1 Winner | <ref name="rh2nddenmark" /> |
| 1974 | All England Open | Template:Flagicon Punch Gunalan | 8–15, 15–9, 15–10 | Template:Gold1 Winner | <ref name="7-in-a-row" /> |
| 1975 | All England Open | Template:Flagicon Svend Pri | 11–15, 14–17 | Template:Silver2 Runner-up | <ref name="spendsrhreign" /> |
| 1975 | Denmark Open | Template:Flagicon Svend Pri | 12–15, 15–0, 15–7 | Template:Gold1 Winner | <ref name="rh3rddenmark" /> |
| 1976 | All England Open | Template:Flagicon Liem Swie King | 15–7, 15–7 | Template:Gold1 Winner | <ref name="no.8" /> |
| 1978 | All England Open | Template:Flagicon Liem Swie King | 10–15, 3–15 | Template:Silver2 Runner-up | <ref name="ninthtry" /> |
| 1980 | English Masters | Template:Flagicon Liem Swie King | 11–15, 3–15 | Template:Silver2 Runner-up | <ref>Template:Cite news</ref> |
| 1980 | Swedish Open | Template:Flagicon Prakash Padukone | 15–9, 12–15, 1–15 | Template:Silver2 Runner-up | <ref>Template:Cite news</ref> |
| 1981 | Japan Open | Template:Flagicon Lius Pongoh | 15–9, 15–8 | Template:Gold1 Winner | <ref name="rhjapan" /> |
Men's doubles
Mixed doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Western Indian | Template:Flagicon Rafia Latif | Template:Flagicon Indra Gunawan Template:Flagicon Sunila Ape |
15–12, 15–13 | Template:Gold1 Winner | <ref name="rhwindian" /> |
Invitational tournamentEdit
Men's singles
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | World Invitational Championships | Template:Flagicon Svend Pri | 15–5, 15–2 | Gold Gold | <ref>Template:Cite news</ref> |
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
Template:Col-begin Template:Col-2
- Smash - Rudy Hartono
- His profile in Badmintoncentral
- His profile in Tokohindonesia Template:In lang
- His profile in KONI Template:In lang
Template:Footer Olympic Champions Badminton Singles Men Template:Footer World Champions Badminton Singles Men Template:Footer Thomas Cup Champions Badminton Team Men Template:Footer All England Open Championships Badminton Singles Men Template:Footer World Invitation Tournament Champions Badminton Singles Men Template:Footer Asian Games Champions Badminton Team Men Template:Footer Asian Champions Badminton Team Men Template:Badminton Hall of Fame members