With 80 athletes in the U10, U13, U15 and U18 categories in three competition divisions, namely Recurve, Compound and National, the Central Java contingent once again showed its dominance. This title also led the squad under the auspices of Perpani Central Java to win the overall title of Junior National Championship for the fifth time in a row since 2022.
“This achievement cannot be separated from the consistent performance of Central Java athletes. They are athletes who were selected from the Junior National Championship last May, then prepared to fight and show their best at this Junior National Championship. We hope that the potential talent of these young Central Java athletes can become a provision for future events such as the National National Championship and the Senior National Championship. The challenge this time is not easy because the wind direction often changes quickly, but our athletes are astute in making decisions to bring their arrows on target,”said Chairman of the Central Java Contingent, Martin Sudarmono.
The Central Java gold medal purse was closed by To Jabr Rajaa’Chawho took part in the Men’s U15 National Individual number. Facing Muhammad Airlangga Ramadhan Adz Zikra from the East Java contingent in the final, Jabr was able to appear calm in five series with a set point of 6-4. This archery athlete from Jepara, who has just tasted the atmosphere of the national championship, also won a gold medal in the U-15 Men’s National Team event.
“I didn’t expect that I would advance to the final and get gold, because this is the first time I’ve taken part in a national championship after playing archery since 2023. Last year I was hesitant to take part because I wasn’t confident in my shooting. But this time I proved the results of my training and dared to appear at the national level. I dedicate this gold medal to my parents, coach and Central Java,”Jabr said.
Print Regeneration of Outstanding Archery Athletes
Deputy General Chair II for Development and Achievement of PB Perpani, Abdul Razak,said that holding the 2026 MilkLife Archery Challenge Junior National Championship was a benchmark and an important part in creating a sustainable archery sports development ecosystem. Young archers not only have a platform to compete but also the opportunity to develop their competitive mentality through international standard events. In this way, it is hoped that young archery athletes can prepare themselves thoroughly so that they are ready to strengthen the national team in the future.
“The quality of young archers this year has increased, which can be seen from the very competitive competition for medals. This is a positive signal for the development of the sport of archery in the sense that archers from various regions can compete with each other closely. We hope that more and more quality events can become a candradimuka crater for young athletes who will become the regeneration of senior archers. We also appreciate the Djarum Foundation for providing facilities and quality of organization with standards approaching the Archery World Cup. Experiences like this are very important so that young athletes get used to the atmosphere of professional competitions and are ready to compete when appearing on the international stage,”Razak said.
Razak added that Indonesia’s archery sport development is on the right track through the presence of tiered national level competitions starting from an early age as a way to get used to it. This cannot be separated from being an effort to continue the good achievements that have been developed by Perpani.“Archery is one of Indonesia’s leading sports which has contributed medals at the Olympic level. Seeing the potential of the young archers competing this time, we are optimistic that they will be the ones singing the song Indonesia Raya on the world stage in the next 10 to 15 years,” close Razak.
In line with this, Djarum Foundation Edi Supriyanto Sports Service Associate Programsaid that holding the 2026 MilkLife Archery Challenge Junior National Championship is a form of ongoing commitment to strengthening the Indonesian archery sports development ecosystem. Moreover, Indonesian archery already has a proud track record of achievements, starting from a silver medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics through the heroine trio Nurfitriyana Saiman, Kusuma Wardhani, and Lilies Handayani to winning five gold medals at the 2025 Thailand SEA Games from the individual recurve, men’s and women’s team, as well as compound individual and women’s team events. This achievement has sparked and inspired enthusiasm to further explore the great potential of Indonesian archery athletes.
“We believe that achievements are not born instantly, but are built through tiered and continuous coaching. After getting to know and pursue the sport of archery through the MilkLife Archery Challenge, they have the opportunity to challenge themselves to a more competitive level like in this junior national championship. With structured and consistent coaching, we hope that many potential archers will be born who will continue Indonesia’s tradition of achievement in various international championships including the Olympics,”said Edi.
Apart from that, the implementation of the MilkLife Archery Challenge Junior National Championship this year is expected to further strengthen Kudus’s image as sport tourism city. Previously, the Djarum Foundation Sports Service had also held various national level sports tournaments such as the MilkLife Soccer Challenge All-Stars 2026 (June) and HYDROPLUS Soccer League All-Stars 2026 (July). Next month, the 2026 Srikandi Merdeka Cup will also be held, which will bring together the U-16 women’s football teams from seven countries, namely Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
“The presence of athletes, officials and even supporters from various regions to Kudus provides a multiplier effect for the community. In this way, sport is not only a means of developing achievements, but is also able to drive sports tourism and the local economy. Our hope is that Kudus will increasingly be known as a city that has a strong sports ecosystem and hosts various prestigious championships,”said Eddie.
