1. Rudy Hartono Kurniawan was born on Nio Hap Liang ; 18 August 1949 and is an Indonesian former badminton player holding the record of winning the men's singles title at the All-England Championship eight times, including seven times consecutively from 1968 to 1974.
Rudy Hartono won the World Championship in 1980 on his only attempt at this title.
Rudy Hartono is one of the most famous players in the history of the sport and is considered to be one of the greatest badminton players of all time.
Rudy Hartono is the son of Zulkarnain Kurniawan and the third child of eight siblings in the family.
Rudy Hartono's sister Utami Dewi is a five-time national badminton champion and former Indonesia Uber Cup team member.
The young Rudy Hartono embraced many types of sports, including athletics, swimming, volleyball, football, and roller skating, but his athletic path soon led him towards badminton.
At age 11, Rudy Hartono started formal badminton training under the tutelage of his father.
Rudy Hartono 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.
Besides his All England success, Rudy Hartono won many international open titles throughout his career.
Rudy Hartono defeated Muljadi in the singles final and partnered with Indratno to beat Lee Wah Chin and Yeo Ah Seng in the doubles final.
Rudy Hartono 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.
In 1973 and 1975, Rudy Hartono won his second and third Denmark Open titles after beating Flemming Delfs and Svend Pri respectively.
At the 1982 Thomas Cup Finals, the aging Rudy Hartono 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.
Rudy Hartono became involved with the Indonesian Badminton Association, holding different positions such as Chairman of Development Affairs until 2006.
Rudy Hartono is currently a member of PBSI's Board of Honour.
Rudy Hartono played an active role within the Badminton World Federation.
Rudy Hartono who attended the Economics Faculty of Trisakti University, Jakarta, began to expand his business after his retirement.
Rudy Hartono ventured into dairy business in Sukabumi and the sports equipment business by acting as an agent for brands such as Mikasa, Ascot and Yonex.
Rudy Hartono married Jane Anwar in 1976 and they have two children, a son and a daughter.
Later, the death of Svend Pri in 1983 prompted Rudy Hartono to preach about Jesus to others.
Since 1989, Rudy Hartono has been extremely active with his church ministry.
In 2001, Rudy Hartono became associate pastor of Bethel Church in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Rudy Hartono had a wax sculpture in his likeness at the Madame Tussauds museum in Singapore.