UNS — Finda Puspita Dewi, a student in the Office Administration Education Program (PAP) at the Faculty of Teacher Training and Education (FKIP), Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta, has achieved the gold medal in the 10-Meter Air Rifle Prone Mixed SH-2 category at the 17th National Paralympic Week (Peparnas XVII) held in Solo, representing Papua Province.
Speaking to uns.ac.id on Wednesday (16/10/2024), Finda shared that she recently took up competitive shooting, with only three months of intensive training leading up to the Peparnas XVII competition as an athlete for Papua Province.
“At the end of 2023, I developed an interest in shooting sports, but as a new student, my training wasn’t focused on competing. It wasn’t until May this year that my coach reached out to invite me to compete for Papua Province. Intensive training lasted for only three months, as we tapered the workouts in the months leading up to Peparnas to avoid overexertion,” Finda explained.
Despite being a new athlete and Peparnas XVII marking her first competition, Finda initially felt intimidated by other athletes who had more extensive training. However, she expressed gratitude for bringing pride to her contingent and the university by winning gold.
“Honestly, Peparnas is my first-ever competition. I felt a bit insecure seeing other athletes who had prepared for much longer, with most having started training last year. But, thank God, I managed to win by just 0,1 points and bring home the gold,” Finda added.
The PAP student is now focusing on further training and will participate in the National Training Camp alongside other athletes. HUMAS UNS
