UNAIR NEWS – A student from Universitas Airlangga has achieved another international accolade. Egalita Linanda Siswandari secured the gold medal at the Indonesia Pencak Silat Paku Bumi Open 12th Championship on Monday, March 11, 2024. Participants from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, and the Netherlands also participated in the championship.
To UNAIR NEWS, Linda explained that she has dedicated a month to preparing herself for the competition under the guidance of the Universitas Airlangga Pencak Silat Association (IPSI). She emphasized the importance of maintaining physical stamina and training endurance.
“As an athlete, I have been training and maintaining my physical condition for a long time. I practice with the team every week and undergo intensive training in the week before,” she said.
Perseverance, family and uni’s support
Linda has been practicing pencak silat since elementary school. At first, the Indonesian martial arts were chosen to fill her leisure time outside of academic activities. Over time, she realized the importance of self-defense skills, especially for women. She continued her journey in Pencak silat up to the present.
“I believe learning self-defense is essential for women,” she added.
“I filled my spare time by learning pencak silat. Eventually, I decided to participate in the PORSENI championship.”
Stepping out of her comfort zone, Linda participated in numerous other pencak silat championships, from provincial to national levels. Most recently she achieved first place in an international competition hosted by the Paku Bumi Indonesia Pencak Silat School.
Throughout her journey, the support from her family, coaches, and university played a significant role in Linda’s success. The Pencak Silat student club (UKM) at UNAIR helps develop her prowess.
“The support from my family and coaches played a significant role in my success (gold medal, Red),” she said.
“The faculty and university provide facilities and funding for me to participate in championships.”
Tips to join the championship
Like any young person, it cannot be denied that stepping out of one’s comfort zone poses challenges. However, Linda overcame all her worries by consistently practicing. Self-management and training patterns must be implemented to maintain consistency.
“The key to all sports disciplines is practice. Managing and practicing also help optimize it,” she explained.
Author: Syifa Rahmadina
Editor: Feri Fenoria
Read also:
UNAIR Faculty of Law student achieves 2nd place in National-level Taekwondo competition
Traditional Medicine student wins Silver Medal at the International Pencak Silat Paku Bumi Championship 2024
