Rudy Hartono Kurniawan

Jayce September 6, 2024 6 0

Character Introduction

Rudy Hartono Kurniawan is an Indonesian badminton player who was one of the legends of the world badminton scene in the 1960s and 1970s.

He is a very versatile player, with a fast net, a good attacker in the midfield, and an excellent backcourt header to kill diagonals and straight lines.

Rudy Hartono Kurniawan’s father was a former badminton player and was one of the founders of the Surabaya Badminton Association. Rudy Hartono Kurniawan picked up a badminton racket at the age of nine and won the Surabaya Junior Championships at the age of 12. He made his mark on the Indonesian badminton scene in 1964 when he won the National Junior Championships at the age of 15.

Rudy Hartono Kurniawan made his debut as a member of the Indonesian team at the age of 18 in 1967, playing in the 7th Thomas Cup. The Indonesian team failed to defend their title with a 3:6 loss to Malaysia in the final, but Rudy Hartono Kurniawan won two of the three sets won by the Indonesian team, including Rudy Hartono Kurniawan’s surprising victory over the famous Malaysian great, Tan Yee Fong, the men’s singles champion of the 1966 All England Badminton Championships. His success and outstanding performances established him as an undisputed member of the national team. From then on, his skills skyrocketed and his level of play rose, and he began his heyday of shaking the world of badminton, becoming the first and so far the only athlete to win eight All England Men’s Singles titles since the inception of the All England Championships. On his return home, thousands of compatriots lined the streets from the airport to the town hall to welcome him back.

Throughout the 1970s, Rudy Hartono Kurniawan was the captain and number one singles player of the Indonesian team that played in the Thomas Cup, and made an indelible contribution to the Indonesian team winning four consecutive Thomas Cup titles.

After that, Rudy Hartono Kurniawan said he was hanging up his racket and retired from the game, but due to the shortage of youth in the Indonesian badminton world, in 1980 he hung up his racket again and won the men’s singles title of the Second World Badminton Championships for Indonesia.

In 1981, at the age of 32, Rudy Hartono Kurniawan announced his retirement from official competition, stating that he wanted to spend more time training newcomers. However, in May 1982, the Indonesian team reintroduced him for the finals of the 12th Thomas Cup with high hopes. Rudy Hartono Kurniawan lost to Chinese newcomer Luan Jin 1:2 in the final.

Rudy Hartono Kurniawan after graduating from the University Faculty of Economics, invested in badminton manufacturing plants, dairy farms and highway construction, but he and badminton sport has formed a bond. He is now the coach of the Indonesian badminton team.