The young Hartono embraced many types of sports, including athletics, swimming, volleyball, football, and roller skating, but his athletic path soon led him towards badminton. At age 11, Hartono started formal badminton training under the tutelage of his father. He would train for almost the entire day in a small badminton club set up by his father in a railway station warehouse. In 1961, he entered his first tournament at the Surabaya’s junior championship when he was 12 and won. After leaving his father’s club, he played for a local club and quickly caught the eye of national scouts and was called up to the National Training Center in late 1965.

When he was 18 years old and entered the All England Championships for the first time, Hartono became the youngest-ever champion of the tournament. Since then, Hartono has dominated the event with seven consecutive championship titles from 1968 to 1974. In 1976 Hartono won his eighth title at the All England Championships, earned Hartono a mention in the Guinness Book of Records.

Especially in the 1980 IBF World Championships held in Jakarta, Hartono defeated Liem Swie King, becoming the first male badminton player in Southeast Asia to win the title of World Champion.

After his retirement, Hartono joined the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI), holding different positions such as Chairman of Development Affairs until 2006. Hartono also played an active role within the Badminton World Federation (BWF). He was a member of the Council in 1985-1986, and later from 1994 to 2009.

According to en.wikipedia.org