Djarum Foundation Sports ServiceAnd MilkLife collaborate with PB Indonesian Archery Association (PB Perpani) roll out MilkLife Archery Challenge Junior National Championship (Kejurnas) 2026 which will take place at the Supersoccer Arena, Kudus, Central Java, on 22-29 July 2026. A total of 906 athletes from 29 provinces in Indonesia are aiming for the title of champion and at the same time proving themselves to be Indonesia’s top archers.
Chair of the MilkLife Archery Challenge Organizing Committee for the 2026 Junior National Championship, Vera Eka Wardani,said the enthusiasm of young archers showed a positive trend which was reflected in the increase in the number of participants compared to last year, which amounted to 876 young archers. This is a breath of fresh air in strengthening the ecosystem and regenerating archery athletes in Indonesia.
“Not only has the number increased, the competitive atmosphere at this year’s National Championship has become very competitive so it is hoped that it can become an important barometer in the map of national archery development. It is supported by an international standard venue, giving junior athletes the experience of facing world class competition from an early age. The MilkLife Archery Challenge Junior National Championship is expected to give birth to a generation of Indonesian archery athletes who are superior, tough and ready to compete on the world stage,”Vera said.
The MilkLife Archery Challenge Junior National Championship is the next phase initiated by the Bakti Sport Djarum Foundation in developing the potential of Indonesian archery. Previously, in collaboration with Perpani Kudus, every year the MilkLife Archery Challenge was also held which targets Madrasah Ibtidaiyah (MI) and Elementary School (SD) students for the Central Java region and surrounding areas.
“With this tournament for elementary and middle school students as well as the Junior National Championship, we are trying to build a foundation for tiered archery development which we hope will find quality seeds, so that this sport can speak volumes at the international level. Hopefully we can give birth to new heroines like the era of the Three Heroines who won silver medals at the Seoul Olympics 38 years ago,”said Vera.
In this edition, the 2026 MilkLife Archery Challenge Junior National Championship competes in three divisions, namely National (U10, U13, U15 and U18), Recurve (U13, U15 and U18) and Compound (U13, U15 and U18). All athletes first undergo a qualifying round to determine their ranking as a basis for preparing the elimination chart, before competing head to headuntil the final match. In the National and Recurve divisions, matches use a system set point where the archers collect the most points in three series to ensure progress to the next round. As for the Compound division, the assessment uses the highest accumulated score from five series to determine the winner in each round.
One of the contingents that came with full enthusiasm was the Riau Islands (Kepri) by fielding 55 athletes in the U10, U13, U15 and U18 categories in all the divisions being competed. Instead of targeting the highest podium, the Bumi Segantang Lada squad actually wanted to experience the atmosphere of a competitive match with tough opponents from various regions at the MilkLife Archery Challenge Junior National Championship.
“Thank God, this year’s results exceeded expectations because we were able to compete with strong contingents from Java and brought home more medals than last year. Thank you to the Bakti Sport Djarum Foundation for facilitating the holding of the Junior National Championship in a very good venue. In my opinion, this is one of the best locations for the national archery championship. The facilities are complete and the wind conditions are very challenging, providing valuable competition experience for athletes. Championships like this are also important to maintain the development of athletes in stages from U10 to U18 so that “Indonesian archers can continue to be prepared for higher levels, including national training and international championships,”said Kepri contingent archery coach, Budi Darmawan Tanjung.
Not only from the Riau Islands, the motivation to compete in the MilkLife Archery Challenge Junior National Championship also came from East Kalimantan. One of the archers of the Etam Continent, Khairunnisa, successfully won three gold medals and one bronze in the Women’s U-15 Compound division. In the final individual event, the 14 year old archer overcame the resistance of Rania Shafiyyah Hannha from Bengkulu with a score of 140-134. This achievement cannot be separated from hard work during training and the full support of his parents who continued to convince him to go and appear in the Junior National Championship even though he had doubts due to financial constraints.
“I am grateful that my parents fully supported me and convinced me to appear confident in winning a gold medal. The experience of competing in the 2026 MilkLife Archery Junior National Championship was also enjoyable because I was able to meet many new friends from various regions. Even though the wind was quite challenging, I had to be calm and focused. Because archery is not only important technically, but also mentally,”said Khairunnisa.
