How it unfolded
The second World Championships, held at Istora Senayan in Jakarta from May 27 to June 1, 1980, marked the very peak of Indonesian badminton: both men's singles finalists were Indonesian. On one side stood 31-year-old Rudy Hartono, who had won the All England seven years running from 1968 to 1974 and added an eighth title in 1976, by now past his absolute peak. Across the net was 24-year-old Liem Swie King, his successor, who had won back-to-back All England titles in 1978 and 1979 and was already nicknamed 'King Smash' for his jump smash. Before a home crowd, Hartono won in straight games. It was the moment a player judged for his whole career only by All England titles finally held an official world championship crown, and Indonesia took four of the five events at that edition — losing only women's doubles, to England's Nora Perry and Jane Webster.
Why it still matters
This match was both the amateur era's last great scene and the formal announcement of a generational change. The years when the All England had effectively served as a world championship ended with the 1977 founding of this event, and Hartono proved himself the best even under the new system before stepping back. It also showed Indonesia's talent pool was deep enough to fill an entire singles final with its own players.