Rudy Hartono And Liem Swie King, Which Is The Best In All England?

Rudy Hartono in action at All England (Source: allenglandbadminton.com)

JAKARTA - All England is one of the fiercest badminton competitions. Each event is always an interesting spectacle. The All England finals often give birth to new world champions. In 1978, for example. At that time all eyes of the world were on the All Indonesian Final which brought together Rudy Hartono and Liem Swie King. The title is one of the best finals of all time of the All England.

Long before the 1978 All England event, Liem Swie King was far from that dream. Never mind being a champion. So the All England participants have not been imagined. Meanwhile, his rival, Rudy Hartono, is a living legend who has won eight times. The record is even now unmatched. Admiration for the figure of Rudy Hartono is also felt by the famous businessman, Ciputra.

“I have been inspired for a long time by the powerful light that was given off by Indonesian badminton athletes in 1958. The success of the Indonesian team in winning the Thomas Cup in Singapore by defeating Malaysia was brilliant and amazing. I admire Tan Joe Hok, Njoo Kiem Bie, Ferry Sonneville, Tan King Gwan, and Olich Solihin. In 1968, the women's doubles, Minarni and Retno Kustiyah won the All England. Moreover, then there is an extraordinary figure named Rudy Hartono. A miraculous young man who managed to become the All England champion seven times in a row, "said Ciputra as quoted by Alberthiene Endah in the book Ciputra The Entrepreneur (2019).

When Rudy Hartono was living his golden age, Liem Swie King still spent time practicing. Liem Swie King played day and night in order to achieve his dream of becoming world champion. Thanks to his persistence, Liem Swie King managed to follow All England 1974. Unfortunately, Liem Swie King always failed. In 1974, Liem Swie King lost to Svend Pri (Denmark) in the last 16. Then, in 1975, his steps were tackled by Flemming Delfs (Denmark) in the quarter-finals.

Rudy Hartono's controversial victory over Liem Swie King

Liem Swie King didn't give up right away. He always learns from the defeats he has experienced. As a result, at the 1976 All England event, Liem Swie King experienced a surprising increase. Liem Swie King, who previously lost in the last 16 and the quarter-finals, managed to advance to the final at All England 1976. At that moment, Liem Swie King faced his senior, Rudy Hartono for the first time.

“IN the final, March 27, facing his junior Liem Swie King, Rudy won 15-7, 15-5. The wish of Rudy and all ranks of badminton and sports in Indonesia, to place an athlete in the ranks of the world, has been achieved, ”wrote Brigita Isworo L. and TD Asmadi in the book 1000 Tahun Nusantara (2000).

Rudy Hartono (Source: allenglandbadminton.com)

Even so, Rudy Hartono's victory caused controversy. Liem Swie King is considered to have deliberately given victory to Rudy Hartono. The goal, so that Rudy Hartono can record eight victories at the All England. With that record, Rudy Hartono broke the record, surpassing the achievements of Erlans Kops from Denmark.

Liem Swie King himself admitted that one of the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) officials flew to England to meet him. During the meeting, PBSI officials persuaded Liem Swie King to let Rudy Hartono win the eighth time. With respect, for the sake of red and white, he said.

Liem Swie King's revenge at All England 1978

Even though he admires Rudy Hartono wholeheartedly, Liem Swie King still stepped on the gas when he joined the 1978 All England event. As expected by many, All England again held the All Indonesian Final between Liem Swie King and Rudy Hartono. At the time of the final match, seven thousand spectators shouted loudly in England welcoming the reunion of seniors and juniors.

Liem Swie King, who felt it was time to become a champion, immediately showed his class as a potential champion. Rudy Hartono was also defeated by Liem Swie King in two straight sets. Liem Swie King won 15-10, 15-3. Liem Swie King won the first All England title.

This victory, said Liem Swie King, was the most memorable during his career in badminton. Then, Liem Swie King added to his collection of victories by winning the All England 1979 and 1981.

Liem Swie King (Credit: BWF Virtual Museum)

“When Liem Swie King won for the first time the most prestigious badminton arena, All England at Wembley in 1978, the Holy-born youth's smash hit (The King's Smes) became the talk of the world badminton circles. The thrilling smes, accompanied by high jumps, loud thumps accompanied by swings of body weight and the direction of the ball, made the Chinese camp always record Liem Swie King's game using video tools, "added Jimmy S Hariyanto in the book Call Me King (2009).

For this success, Indonesian badminton legend, Tan Joe Hok praised Liem Swie King. Quoted from a report from Tempo Magazine entitled King Becomes King (1978), Tan Joe Hok revealed that the three-time All England champion had a devastating blow.

Liem Swie King he called a good player. He has a strong physique, strong legs, and he punches hard. Therefore, Tan Joe Hok called him the Great General. The reason is because Liem Swie King emerged when the world badminton power was evenly distributed, not alone like the Rudy Hartono era.

"So if King wins, that means he's really good."

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