How it unfolded
This was the final of the first Games in which badminton was a full medal sport. Twenty-one-year-old Susi Susanti met twenty-year-old Bang Soo-hyun, and Bang took the first game 11-5 under the 11-point scoring then used for women's singles. From the second game on, though, Susanti's trademark long rallies and tireless defence completely turned the tide, taking the next two games 11-5 and 11-3. As the final point fell, Susanti sank to the court. It was Indonesia's first-ever Olympic gold medal. On the same day, her boyfriend and future husband Alan Budikusuma beat Ardy Wiranata in the men's singles final for another gold. Both events, then, were won by or between Indonesian players. Korea swept the remaining two events, men's and women's doubles, through Park Joo-bong and Kim Moon-soo, and Hwang Hye-young and Chung So-young. When the pair returned to Indonesia, the nation held a public celebration.
Why it still matters
This is a case of a nation's sporting identity being decided in a single day. From that day, Indonesia treated badminton as its national sport, justifying the state investment that built the Cipayung training center. It was also the moment Olympic gold overtook the All England and World Championships as the sport's highest honor. Korea's two doubles golds on the same day marked the start of its long run of doubles strength.