Susi Susanti

Summary

Lucia Francisca "Susi" Susanti Haditono (Chinese: 王蓮香; pinyin: Wáng Liánxiāng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Ông Liân-hiang; born 11 February 1971) is an Indonesia retired badminton player.[1] Relatively small of stature, she combined quick and graceful movement with elegant shotmaking technique, and is regarded by many as one of the greatest women's singles players of all time.[2] She is the first Indonesian Olympic gold medalist.

Susi Susanti
Susanti carrying a torch fire during the 2018 Asian Games Torch Relay Concert in Jakarta, Indonesia
Personal information
Full nameLucia Francisca Susanti Haditono
Birth nameOng Lien Hiang
王蓮香
CountryIndonesia
Born (1971-02-11) 11 February 1971 (age 53)
Tasikmalaya, West Java, Indonesia
Height1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
HandednessRight
Women's singles
Highest ranking1
Medal record
Women's badminton
Representing  Indonesia
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1992 Barcelona Women's singles
Bronze medal – third place 1996 Atlanta Women's singles
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1993 Birmingham Women's singles
Bronze medal – third place 1991 Copenhagen Women's singles
Bronze medal – third place 1995 Lausanne Women's singles
World Cup
Gold medal – first place 1989 Guangzhou Women's singles
Gold medal – first place 1993 New Delhi Women's singles
Gold medal – first place 1994 Ho Chi Minh Women's singles
Gold medal – first place 1996 Jakarta Women's singles
Gold medal – first place 1997 Yogyakarta Women's singles
Silver medal – second place 1990 Bandung-Jakarta Women's singles
Silver medal – second place 1995 Jakarta Women's singles
Bronze medal – third place 1991 Macau Women's singles
Sudirman Cup
Gold medal – first place 1989 Jakarta Mixed team
Silver medal – second place 1991 Copenhagen Mixed team
Silver medal – second place 1993 Birmingham Mixed team
Silver medal – second place 1995 Lausanne Mixed team
Bronze medal – third place 1997 Glasgow Mixed team
Uber Cup
Gold medal – first place 1994 Jakarta Women's team
Gold medal – first place 1996 Hong Kong Women's team
Silver medal – second place 1998 Hong Kong Women's team
Bronze medal – third place 1990 Nagoya-Tokyo Women's team
Bronze medal – third place 1992 Kuala Lumpur Women's team
Asian Games
Silver medal – second place 1990 Beijing Women's team
Silver medal – second place 1994 Hiroshima Women's team
Bronze medal – third place 1990 Beijing Women's singles
Bronze medal – third place 1994 Hiroshima Women's singles
SEA Games
Gold medal – first place 1987 Jakarta Women's team
Gold medal – first place 1989 Kuala Lumpur Women's singles
Gold medal – first place 1989 Kuala Lumpur Women's team
Gold medal – first place 1991 Manila Women's singles
Gold medal – first place 1991 Manila Women's team
Gold medal – first place 1995 Chiang Mai Women's singles
Gold medal – first place 1995 Chiang Mai Women's team
Gold medal – first place 1997 Jakarta Women's team
Silver medal – second place 1987 Jakarta Women's singles
BWF profile

Career edit

Susanti won the women's singles gold medal at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain and the bronze medal at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, United States. She retired from the world badminton circuit not long after her marriage, in February 1997, to Alan Budikusuma, who had also won a badminton singles gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics. Susanti was the most dominant women's singles player in the first half of the 1990s, winning the All England Open in 1990, 1991, 1993 and 1994, the World Badminton Grand Prix Finals five consecutive times from 1990 to 1994 as well as in 1996, and the IBF World Championships in 1993. She is the only female player to hold the Olympic, World Championship, and All-England singles titles simultaneously. She won the Japan Open three times and the Indonesian Open six times. She also won numerous Badminton Grand Prix series events and five Badminton World Cups. She led the Indonesian team to victory over perennial champion China in the 1994 and 1996 Uber Cup (women's world team) competitions. All of this came during a relatively strong period in women's international badminton. Her chief competitors early in her prime years were the Chinese players Tang Jiuhong and Huang Hua, and, later, China's Ye Zhaoying and the Korean Bang Soo-hyun.

Susanti was inducted into the International Badminton Federation (IBF, currently BWF) Hall of Fame in May 2004, and received the Herbert Scheele Trophy in 2002. She lit the flame at the 2018 Asian Games opening ceremony.

Playing style edit

Susanti was an extremely durable defensive player who liked to instigate long rallies to wear down her opponent's stamina and invite errors. That style was in contrast to most of the top female players of her time such as Bang Soo-hyun, Tang Jiuhong, Huang Hua, and Ye Zhaoying, who employed a more aggressive style.

Susanti's matches against top-tier opponents were characteristically slow-paced and long, especially in the era of 15 points system when a player could only earn a point when she or he held the serve. Susanti relied on deep clears to the back line, limiting the chance of a fast-paced exchange, mixed with tight drop shots, forcing her opponent to cover the entire court. Susanti frequently covered her backhand side with overhead forehands, by relying on her quickness and back-arching suppleness. Relatively short, she often stretched her legs very wide to take low shots at the corners or away from her position. Developed from training, this leg-stretching, almost balletic maneuver became a signature pose which sometimes ended with a full leg split. In the later years of her career, Susanti incorporated more smashing into her repertoire, enough to throw off opponents expecting only a game of attrition.

Personal life edit

She is married to Alan Budikusuma (Chinese: 魏仁芳), a men's badminton Olympic gold medalist (also in 1992) and one of the top men's players in the history of the sport, a former Chinese Indonesian badminton player who excelled at the world level from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s.[3] Together they have three children, Laurencia Averina, born 1999, Albertus Edward, born 2000, Sebastianus Fredrick, born 2003. When the eldest daughter was born, Indonesia was rocked by a series of civil outbreaks and violence. Susanti decided to name her daughter Laurencia Averina Wiratama, which means “peace”, hoping that she would bring about peace in the nation.[4]

In popular culture edit

A biopic in Indonesian based on Susanti's life story, entitled Susi Susanti: Love All directed by Sim F with Laura Basuki playing the titular role and Dion Wiyoko as Alan Budikusuma was released on 24 October 2019.[5][6][7]

Awards and nominations edit

Award Year Category Result Ref.
Government of Indonesia Awards 1992 Tanda Kehormatan Bintang Jasa Utama Placed
International Badminton Federation Awards 2002 Herbert Scheele Trophy Inducted [8]
International Badminton Federation Awards 2004 Badminton Hall of Fame Inducted [9]

Achievements edit

Olympic Games edit

Women's singles

Year Venue Opponent Score Result
1992 Pavelló de la Mar Bella, Barcelona, Spain   Bang Soo-hyun 5–11, 11–5, 11–3   Gold
1996 GSU Sports Arena, Atlanta, United States   Kim Ji-hyun 11–4, 11–1   Bronze

World Championships edit

Women's singles

Year Venue Opponent Score Result
1991 Brøndby Arena, Copenhagen, Denmark   Tang Jiuhong 4–11, 1–11   Bronze
1993 National Indoor Arena, Birmingham, England   Bang Soo-hyun 7–11, 11–9, 11–3   Gold
1995 Malley Sports Centre, Lausanne, Switzerland   Ye Zhaoying 11–5, 8–11, 2–11   Bronze

World Cup edit

Women's singles

Year Venue Opponent Score Result
1989 Guangzhou Gymnasium, Guangzhou, China   Han Aiping 11–5, 11–4   Gold
1990 Istora Senayan, Jakarta, Indonesia   Sarwendah Kusumawardhani 5–11, 11–1, 11–12   Silver
1991 Macau Forum, Macau   Huang Hua 3–11, 2–11   Bronze
1993 Indira Gandhi Arena, New Delhi, India   Lim Xiaoqing 11–7, 11–5   Gold
1994 Phan Dinh Phung Indoor Stadium, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam   Bang Soo-hyun 12–9, 11–6   Gold
1995 Istora Senayan, Jakarta, Indonesia   Ye Zhaoying 9–12, 11–2, 9–12   Silver
1996 Istora Senayan, Jakarta, Indonesia   Wang Chen 11–7, 11–4   Gold
1997 Among Rogo Sports Hall, Yogyakarta, Indonesia   Ye Zhaoying 11–8, 11–5   Gold

Asian Games edit

Women's singles

Year Venue Opponent Score Result
1990 Beijing Gymnasium, Beijing, China   Tang Jiuhong 11–7, 1–11, 7–11   Bronze
1994 Tsuru Memorial Gymnasium, Hiroshima, Japan   Hisako Mizui 4–11, 5–11   Bronze

SEA Games edit

Women's singles

Year Venue Opponent Score Result
1987 Kuningan Hall, Jakarta, Indonesia   Elizabeth Latief 5–11, 9–11   Silver
1989 Stadium Negara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia   Sarwendah Kusumawardhani 11–7, 11–6   Gold
1991 Camp Crame Gymnasium, Manila, Philippines   Sarwendah Kusumawardhani 5–11, 11–8, 11–2   Gold
1995 Gymnasium 3, 700th Anniversary Sport Complex, Chiang Mai, Thailand   Somharuthai Jaroensiri 11–4, 11–0   Gold

World Junior Championships edit

The Bimantara World Junior Championships was an international invitation badminton tournament for junior players. It was held in Jakarta, Indonesia from 1987 to 1991.

Girls' singles

Year Venue Opponent Score Result
1987 Jakarta, Indonesia   Lee Jung-mi 11–6, 8–11, 11–6   Gold
1988 Jakarta, Indonesia   Huang Ying 11–5, 11–2   Gold

Girls' doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
1987 Jakarta, Indonesia   Lilik Sudarwati   Gil Young-ah
  Lee Jung-mi
9–15, 15–6, 15–5   Gold
1988 Jakarta, Indonesia   Lilik Sudarwati   Bang Soo-hyun
  Shon Hye-joo
14–18, 18–14, 15–4   Gold

Mixed doubles

Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result
1987 Jakarta, Indonesia   Ardy Wiranata   Ricky Subagja
  Lilik Sudarwati
7–15, 15–7, 15–9   Gold

IBF World Grand Prix (38 titles, 11 runners-up) edit

The World Badminton Grand Prix was sanctioned by the International Badminton Federation from 1983 to 2006.

Women's singles

Year Tournament Opponent Score Result
1989 All England Open   Li Lingwei 8–11, 4–11   Runner-up
1989 Chinese Taipei Open   Christine Gandrup 11–8, 3–11, 7–11   Runner-up
1989 Indonesia Open   Huang Hua 11–7, 11–0   Winner
1990 All England Open   Huang Hua 12–11, 11–1   Winner
1990 Indonesia Open   Lee Young-suk 11–1, 8–11, 4–11   Runner-up
1990 World Grand Prix Finals   Tang Jiuhong 8–11, 11–5, 12–10   Winner
1991 Chinese Taipei Open   Somharuthai Jaroensiri 11–1, 11–2   Winner
1991 Japan Open   Huang Hua 3–11, 6–11   Runner-up
1991 All England Open   Sarwendah Kusumawardhani 0–11, 11–2, 11–6   Winner
1991 Indonesia Open   Lee Heung-soon 11–8, 11–3   Winner
1991 Denmark Open   Huang Hua 11–5, 6–11, 11–8   Winner
1991 Thailand Open   Lee Heung-soon 11–7, 11–4   Winner
1991 Swedish Open   Pernille Nedergaard 11–2, 11–3   Winner
1991 World Grand Prix Finals   Lee Heung-soon 9–11, 11–8, 11–1   Winner
1992 Denmark Open   Lim Xiaoqing 11–3, 11–3   Winner
1992 Japan Open   Ye Zhaoying 11–2, 11–0   Winner
1992 German Open   Sarwendah Kusumawardhani 11–7, 10–12, 11–8   Winner
1992 Hong Kong Open   Bang Soo-hyun 11–5, 6–11, 7–11   Runner-up
1992 Thailand Open   Bang Soo-hyun 11–7, 11–4   Winner
1992 World Grand Prix Finals   Sarwendah Kusumawardhani 9–11, 11–3, 11–4   Winner
1993 All England Open   Bang Soo-hyun 4–11, 11–4, 11–1   Winner
1993 Malaysia Open   Lim Xiaoqing 11–6, 11–2   Winner
1993 Indonesia Open   Ye Zhaoying 9–11, 11–12   Runner-up
1993 Thailand Open   Somharuthai Jaroensiri 12–10, 11–2   Winner
1993 Korea Open   Bang Soo-hyun 9–12, 5–11   Runner-up
1993 German Open   Ye Zhaoying 11–6, 11–8   Winner
1993 Dutch Open   Camilla Martin 11–7, 11–1   Winner
1993 World Grand Prix Finals   Ye Zhaoying 11–3, 12–9   Winner
1994 Chinese Taipei Open   Kim Ji-hyun 11–2, 11–5   Winner
1994 All England Open   Ye Zhaoying 11–5, 11–9   Winner
1994 Japan Open   Ye Zhaoying 11–6, 10–12, 11–8   Winner
1994 Malaysia Open   Ye Zhaoying 11–3, 11–8   Winner
1994 Thailand Open   Lim Xiaoqing 11–5, 12–10   Winner
1994 Indonesia Open   Bang Soo-hyun 2–11, 11–0, 11–7   Winner
1994 World Grand Prix Finals   Ye Zhaoying 4–11, 12–10, 11–4   Winner
1995 Japan Open   Bang Soo-hyun 11–7, 12–11   Winner
1995 Malaysia Open   Bang Soo-hyun 11–1, 11–6   Winner
1995 Indonesia Open   Bang Soo-hyun 11–1, 12–11   Winner
1995 Korea Open   Bang Soo-hyun 3–11, 11–7, 11–9   Winner
1996 Japan Open   Ye Zhaoying 7–11, 8–11   Runner-up
1996 Indonesia Open   Wang Chen 11–8, 11–8   Winner
1996 Chinese Taipei Open   Ye Zhaoying 11–5, 11–2   Winner
1996 World Grand Prix Finals   Ye Zhaoying 11–4, 11–1   Winner
1997 Malaysia Open   Ye Zhaoying 11–5, 11–7   Winner
1997 Indonesia Open   Meiluawati 11–4, 11–5   Winner
1997 Vietnam Open   Xu Huaiwen 11–4, 11–1   Winner
1997 World Grand Prix Finals   Ye Zhaoying 4–11, 4–11   Runner-up
1998 Singapore Open   Ye Zhaoying 5–11, 6–11, 2–11   Runner-up

Women's doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result
1987 Indonesia Open   Verawaty Fadjrin   Rosiana Tendean
  Ivana Lie
4–15, 16–17   Runner-up
  IBF Grand Prix tournament
  IBF Grand Prix Finals tournament

IBF International (1 title, 2 runners-up) edit

Women's singles

Year Tournament Opponent Score Result
1990 Australian Open   Anna Lao 11–1, 11–4   Winner

Women's doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result
1990 Australian Open   Lisa Campbell   Rhonda Cator
  Anna Lao
8–15, 2–15   Runner-up

Mixed doubles

Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result
1990 Australian Open   Ardy Wiranata   He Tim
  Anna Lao
11–15, 12–15   Runner-up

Invitational Tournament edit

Women's singles

Year Tournament Venue Opponent Score Result
1988 Asian Invitational Championships Bandar Lampung, Indonesia   Tang Jiuhong 1–11, 4–11   Bronze

Record against selected opponents edit

Record against year-end Finals finalists, World Championships semi-finalists, and Olympic quarter-finalists.

References edit

  1. ^ olympic.org
  2. ^ Leigh, James (21 May 1995). "Badminton: Shock defeat for Susanti". The Independent. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  3. ^ Clarey, Christopher (25 June 1996). "ATLANTA 1996 -- BADMINTON IN INDONESIA;This Is No Picnic: In Southeast Asia, Respect Rides on a Shuttlecock". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 28 January 2018. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  4. ^ Keong, Chia Han (6 July 2021). "Indonesia's Golden Couple who won badminton's first Olympic golds". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  5. ^ Ni Nyoman Wira (17 October 2018). "'Susi Susanti – Love All' shows different side of legendary shuttler". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  6. ^ Indrasty, Rissa (19 September 2018). "Ini Sisi Lain Yang Akan Diangkat di Film Susy Susanti - Love All" (in Indonesian). Grid Network (Grid). Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  7. ^ Pangerang, Andi Muttya Keteng (17 September 2018). Dewi, Bestari Kumala (ed.). "Penampilan Perdana Laura Basuki sebagai Susy Susanti" (in Indonesian). Kompas. Archived from the original on 7 October 2018. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  8. ^ "The Time Place: Susy Susanti". Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  9. ^ "Daftar Pebulutangkis Indonesia yang Masuk Hall of Fame BWF" (in Indonesian). Indosport. 26 April 2020. Retrieved 9 December 2021.

External links edit

  • Setelah Sepuluh Tahun Gantung Raket (in Indonesian)
  • Susi Susanti Sempat Tidak Tahu Masuk Daftar Rekor dunia (in Indonesian)
  • Susi Susanti at BWF.tournamentsoftware.com  
  • Susi Susanti at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)
  • Susi Susanti at Olympics.com