Silly question. Definitely the former. Remember Rudy Hartono came from the prehistoric era when only Indonesian, Chinese and Danish players know how to hold a racquet properly. His opponents were limited because they too are the only ones who know how to play badminton. Svend Pri and Lieam Swie King. When China entered the Thomas Cup scene, he was beaten soundly by Luan Jin. Should he clash with Morten Frost, Yang Yang and Zhao Jianhua? I am sure his record will be stained with defeats.
Results comparison: World Championship: Lin Dan 4:1 Hartono Asian Games: Lin Dan 1:0 Hartono (I heard he chickened out because there were Chinese competing in that tournament) Olympics: Lin Dan 2:1 Hartono (He won one when badminton was a demo sport) All England: Lin Dan 5:8 Hartono (not a reliable metric because Hartono was not in an Open Era) Thomas Cup: Lin Dan 5:4 Hartono (Lin Dan is undefeated in five successive finals while Hartono finally lost his last final match against Luan Jin) It's obvious Lin Dan is better by a mile when badminton today is so competitive.
I'm wondering why there are so many LD fan boys here well, it is his golden era but no one should compare Rudy Hartono and LD they are from two different era Rudy played on the era of oldies the racket is very2 heavy, it is still in 100+ gram old scoring system each to their own if someone ever trying to compare these two especially by their record I feel that they are trying too hard to troll people it is very very pointless
I'm pretty sure there are not many BCers who were around during the Rudy Hartono era, so it's not fair if we compared/judged him against one of the best players around today just based on statistics that we have today alone. We should ask people who are from Hartono's generation and ask them to compare him to LD and see what they say.
You know to expect pointless debate on this post...anyway, rather than saying who is better, perhaps we can debate who is more fearsome looking and what is common between RH and LD, and for that, I say: LD is by far the most fearsome looking player of late, he glared at LCW like a gangster with goatee and tattoo, from SuperDan to Gangster Big Bro Lin Common between RH and LD, I thnk RH is a christian and LD with that humougous 'T' tattoo on his arm, err...he is a Christian I think So many LD fan boys here...well, everyone jump on the band wagon and soon LD will lead them to follow Christ correction...'the racket is very2 heavy, it is still in 100+ gram' should be more like 'couple of pounds' and try doing backhand on those wooden racket thingie and you get a sore arm
Rudy was not the true champion. He was really affraid to the old giants Tang Xianhu and Hou Jiachang. For Rudy, it was far better to hide in Jakarta than to compete in 1974 Asian Games and slaughtered by Tang or eventual winner Hou Jiachang
Rudy always hiding the old giants TXH (8 years older than Rudy) or HJC whom are 6 years older. Why ? Bcoz Rudy knows he was not in the same level with Tang & Hou
All England in Rudy's era can be graded as SEA Games competition, bcoz no China players in there. When China players can participate in Asian Games, then where is Rudy ? Hide in Jkt, eventhough he never won Asian Games Gold Medal. Surely, "SEA Games" champion was not as great as Asian Games champion.
I have watched Rudy play since he was 17 years of age. I had considered Rudy to be a cut above all the other players of his time. But that was when badminton was of a very low standard. By today's standard, Rudy at his peak would not be able to get more than 5 points from the top 10 players of today. That is how far the standard has advanced. Some older people may not agree with me because of an emotional attachment to the glory days of the past. But if badminton today has players in Rudy's class then, the game will die.
Good to see a 17 year old during Rudy Hartono's days post. But have you tried playing with a racquet from Rudy hartono's era ? It's very very heavy. I played with one before and my hand hurts only after few backhands. Who knows if Rudy or players from then had today's racquets , they could have played differently. Or if they had lighter racquets during his time, a different person than Rudy Hartono would have excelled in badminton.
I have no doubt that past champions like Rudi Hartono with their standards will definetely outclassed by todays Top players. But let's see like this. There was a great runner named Jessy Owens who won 4 Gold medals in single olympics back in Berlin 1938 and that make him a trully Legend in Olympic and Tracks history all the time. When he won his 100 meters Gold his time was 10.3 seconds. Then there is a runner from Indonesia -a nation with no mark in the Map of international athletic competition- named Suryo Agung Wibowo who hold national and south east asian record with his time 10.17 seconds. So based on their record it's definetely that Suryo Agung has better time than Jesse Owens. Can we then conclude that Suryo Agung is a better athlete then Jesse Owens ??? Or in other way can we say that Jesse Owens achievement was a fake ??
Mr Bolt won 2012 OLY gold, and I think 7 of the 8 runners were <10sec and the 8th runner was Powell and he did >11 sec because he was hurt, so different times, different everything. ALso, hand timing in Owens times could be 11.3 sec and not 10.3, okay, I am making this up.
lol, probably jesse owens didn't need to run any faster than 10.3 seconds in 1936 because only a few countries participated in olympics and his competition wasn't that good. But if Jesse Owen were alive today, he might be able to run less than 9 seconds because he has to compete with Usain Bolt who is very fast.
You got the point. With the circumstances in each own times, past champions like Wong Peng Soon, Eddy Choong, Erland Kops, and Rudy Hartono had same disadvantage in terms of technology, tools, knowledge, nutrition and everything else with any others players at their own time, but they did more and more than anyone to claimed their tittles and be the champion of their own era. So I don't think anyone in this forum has an excuse to turn down and discredit they achievements. And guess what ?? in 1936 there's no Jamaican sprinter. So we should not taking his achievements seriously because that time was the prehistoric age of tracks Athletic because the Jamaican weren't there. If we all thinking this way then we will discredit all the achievements in the past. what a shame
Jesse Owens? 4 gold medals in 1936? Ptui! He won coz my lightspeed great-great-great-great granddad didn't have any chance to participate in Berlin!!!
In short Rudy Hartono won those titles in the absence of Chinese players, the era when the badminton standard is so poor that it is comparable to school level today, and the fact very few players around him were able to play proper badminton. That is so prehistorical achievement.
School level ??? what a truly disgrace. At the time All England was consider as unofficial World Championship. Tell this also too the Malaysian and Danish to disgrace their legends like Eddie Chong and Erland Kops. No one say that such a "prehistorical" things except a few of negative and disgrace members of this forum.
Maybe one day when a new country emerge to be the powerhouse of badminton then they will look back and say that our present days is a prehistorical era because they not there already and discredit all the achievements of Lin Dan, Lee Chong Wei, Taufik Hidayat, Peter Gade, and many others. Lol