UMS Athlete Wins Gold at 10th Asian Pencak Silat Championship 2026

Another proud achievement has been recorded by a student of Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta (UMS) on the international stage. UMS Tapak Suci athlete Kirana Tias Savira successfully delivered a gold medal for Indonesia at the 10th Asian Pencak Silat Championship 2026 in Dong Nai, Vietnam, held from 15 to 23 July 2026.

The achievement also helped bring Indonesia to second place in the overall standings, with a total of six gold, four silver, and nine bronze medals.

The coach of the Indonesian National Pencak Silat Team, who also serves as a lecturer and coach at UMS, Dr. Nur Subekti, S.Pd., M.Or., explained that Kirana's achievement is the result of sustained coaching she has received since becoming a UMS student.

"Kirana has indeed been one of the young athletes on the national team's radar. The basis for her call-up was her success in winning two consecutive national events, namely the National Student Sports Week held at UMS at the time, and the PON Martial Arts event in Kudus," he said on Saturday (25/7/2026).

The lecturer, commonly known as Bekti, said that preparation for the Asian championship began well before departure. Since being admitted to UMS through the achievement scholarship program, Kirana had followed an integrated academic and athletic training program.

"From her first semester, we had been preparing Kirana to keep her performance consistent. This event in Vietnam was her debut at the Asian level. Praise be to God, her performance met expectations, whether in terms of physicality, technique, tactics, or mentality," Bekti said.

He added that the biggest challenge had already come at Kirana's opening match. The athlete from Klaten, Central Java, went straight into a match against a representative of the host nation, Vietnam, which is known as one of Asia's major pencak silat powers.

"Technically, Kirana was able to carry out the coach's instructions well and manage to control the match," he added.

The coach of the Indonesian National Pencak Silat Team, who also serves as a lecturer and coach at UMS, Dr. Nur Subekti, S.Pd., M.Or., accompanies the Indonesian pencak silat team in Vietnam on 23 July 2026.

Even though Indonesia did not deploy its full strength in the championship, the Merah Putih contingent still managed to show its best performance.

"The host, of course, wants to be the overall champion. Meanwhile, Indonesia only sent potential athletes, not a full team. Praise be to God, we still managed to become the second overall champion. Out of Indonesia's six gold medals, UMS contributed one gold from the only athlete we sent," he explained.

Nur Subekti added that Kirana is a recipient of a 100 percent UMS Achievement Scholarship, meaning that in addition to completing her studies, she also holds a responsibility to continue developing her athletic achievements at the national and international levels.

"After winning championships at several events, including this Asian Championship, Kirana has become a candidate to be called up for long-term national training. Her name is already on the selection list for the 2026 World Championship, and she is being projected for the 2027 SEA Games. In terms of results, everything is going according to expectations," he concluded.

For Kirana, winning gold is both a valuable experience and an important milestone in her career as an athlete.

"Praise be to God, I'm happy. Because this was my first match at the Asian level, I definitely felt nervous and under a lot of pressure. But I'm grateful to be able to represent Indonesia and contribute a gold medal," said the 2024-class student.

Before joining the Indonesian National Team, Kirana had represented UMS at an international event in Thailand. Now, she hopes this achievement will be a stepping stone to break into higher-level competitions. "My hope is to be able to represent Indonesia again at the World Championship or SEA Games," she said.

Kirana's journey as an athlete began in elementary school. She was introduced to Tapak Suci through an extracurricular activity in third grade, then went on to compete in the Regional Student Sports Week (Popda) and joined the Student Education and Training Center (PPLP). It was that consistency that eventually brought her to become a UMS student as well as a national athlete.

Behind her achievements, Kirana admits there have been many sacrifices as an athlete. "The tough part is having to accept defeat and having to divide your time between training, studies, family, and friends. But when you're able to achieve something and make your family proud, it all pays off," she said.

Writer: Fika Annisa’ Sholihah

Editor: Gede Arga Adrian

Translator: Farizal Luqman Majid