UNS — Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta students carved another achievement on the international scene. This time the UNS Pencak Silat team successfully brought home five gold medals in the International Virtual Pencak Silat Championship II on June 24-26, 2022. Contending six championship numbers, including singles, doubles, and team competition, divided into a men’s and a women’s category; the UNS team lost only in one category, the men’s doubles—won by the Thai National Team.
The five golds were presented by Wahyu Nian Tri Firmansyah (men’s single); Zidni Rahma Amaly (women’s single); Adelia Rahma Danty and Hasna Shalekha (women’s team); Ardan Syaifudin, Bayu Triono, Zulfikri Maulana Hafidz (men’s team); and Mutiara Nurul Khotimah, Lintang Rikke Hapsari, Avona Rara Safitri (women’s team).
The Supervisor of UKM Pencak Silat UNS, Dr. Rony Syaifullah, M.Pd., said that this achievement exceeded the set target of three gold medals. “This exceeds our target, with three gold. Other countries had already recognized us, while in some games such as SEA Games and ASIAN Games, many other countries had won gold. So, we are grateful for this achievement,” said Dr. Rony.
The International Virtual Pencak Silat Championship II was attended by participants from seven countries with a total of 19 contingents, consisting of 11 contingents from Indonesia and 8 (eight) contingents from abroad, with a total of 95 participants. Meanwhile, UNS deployed two teams in this championship. The total number of UNS students competing in this championship is 24.
Dr. Rony added that this result would be an evaluation material for students training in UKM Pencak Silat at UNS. Moreover, the championship is a warm-up match for Pencak Silat athletes who will compete at the Provincial Student Sports Week (Pomprov) in September, which will lead to the National Student Sports Week (Pomnas) that will be held in November.
Dr. Rony explained that the UKM Pencak Silat development refers to UNS Key Performance Indicators (IKU) 2, namely national and international achievements. For this reason, his party seeks to involve as many as Pencak Silat athletes in similar martial arts championships, both virtual and on-site competitions. Humas UNS
Reporter: Ida Fitriyah
Editor: Dwi Hastuti