Pencak silat athletes from Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta (UMS) brought home 8 gold medals, 1 silver, and 2 bronze at the 1st Muhammadiyah Games 2026 in the Tapak Suci (TS) discipline, held at the K.H. Ahmad Dahlan Edutorium, UMS. The haul stands as one of the most proud achievements for the host contingent at this national-level competition.
The gold medals were won by Anjunghan Asviya Aji, Aryo Seno Aji Cahyaningrat, Qonita Lathifatus Tsaniyah, Kirana Tias Safira, Nasyifa Aulia Azzahra, Anjani Rukmana, and Muhammad Abdullah Azzam in the tanding (combat) category. A further gold came from the paired seni (artistic) category, won by Dika Dwi Pratama Putra and Diky Tri Nugroh Putro.
The silver medal was won by Muhammad Naufal Isvan Harry in the solo seni category, while the two bronze medals were claimed by Nurul Azkiya and the women's open team tanding category.
UMS Vice Rector I, Prof. Ihwan Susila, Ph.D., expressed his appreciation to all participants and those who supported the running of this inaugural Muhammadiyah Games. He noted that the event drew hundreds of participants from various regions across Indonesia.
"We certainly want to extend our deepest gratitude to the Muhammadiyah Central Board through the Sports Development Institute, which entrusted us with hosting the first Muhammadiyah Games sports disciplines in 2026," Ihwan said on Sunday (17/5/2026) after the closing ceremony.
He also conveyed his pride to all athletes who achieved results in the competition.
"I am certainly proud and I congratulate all champions who have given their best for our organization, for the Muhammadiyah association," Ihwan said.
Ihwan extended special appreciation to Tapak Suci Putera Muhammadiyah UMS for the medals won.
"And I extend a special thank you to Tapak Suci Putera Muhammadiyah Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta, who contributed 8 gold, 1 silver, and 2 bronze medals. This is an extraordinary achievement at a national event," he said.
As the host institution, UMS also extended an apology for any shortcomings that may have occurred during the competition.
One of UMS's gold medalists, Nasyifa Aulia Azzahra from the Physical Education program at the Faculty of Teacher Training and Education (FKIP), class of 2025, expressed her gratitude for her achievement at this inaugural Muhammadiyah Games.
"I am so happy because this is really my first time joining the UMS team, and I am so grateful to have won a gold medal," she said.
Nasyifa explained that her training was carried out at the UMS Physical Education Sport Center building. In her view, the atmosphere of training and competition is quite different.
"Oh, yes, they are different. Training is much more exhausting because you have to be pushed, you have to put in extra effort," she said.
Having taken up pencak silat since junior high school, Nasyifa admitted that her journey has not always been easy. She experienced several defeats before eventually achieving results at the Central Java level and earning a place in the UMS team.
Nasyifa also shared her desire to continue bringing honor to UMS through sporting achievements.
"My message is that I hope going forward I can win another gold medal and bring a good name to UMS, to the Physical Education program, and to my parents," she said.
Although she acknowledged that pencak silat is physically demanding, she continues to pursue it wholeheartedly because it has long been a dream of hers.
"It is tiring, honestly, but joining the UMS team has always been on my wishlist, so I have to see it through," she said.
She even described joining Tapak Suci UMS as a long-held dream.
"Tapak Suci UMS feels like such a huge privilege. The athletes are so impressive. In the end, getting into UMS at all already feels like an achievement," she said.
Looking ahead, Nasyifa hopes to compete at the National Student Sports Week (POMNAS) and to continue growing as a UMS pencak silat athlete.
Writer: Maysali Sudarwati
Editor: Fika Annisa Sholihah
Translator: Farizal Luqman Majid
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