MUHAMMADIYAH.OR.ID, SURAKARTA – Maaliki Istiglal Amuskan, a psychology student at Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta (UMS), won a bronze medal at the 8th Asian Pencak Silat Championship 2024.
The championship, held at the Bukhara Sports Complex in Uzbekistan from October 7-16, 2024, saw Maaliki secure his medal in the men’s B class after defeating his Indian opponent in the quarterfinals.
“The match against India was stopped midway through the second round when the Indian official threw in the white towel,” said Maaliki in a press release on October 31.
Maaliki, who was accompanied by five coaches including Leonard Boymau from East Nusa Tenggara and Indro Catur Haryono from Central Java, had to adapt to the cold weather in Uzbekistan.
“This was my first international competition, so I had to adjust to the cold weather, which was around eight degrees Celsius,” he said.
The men’s B class featured eight selected participants from countries including India, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Indonesia. Maaliki had earned his spot in the championship after winning a gold medal at the 2nd International Indonesian Pencak Silat Open Championship 2024 in Jakarta.
Reflecting on his experience, Maaliki said, “Every competition offers new experiences, and this one has improved my Pencak Silat techniques. This will be valuable for my future competitions.” He is set to compete in the provincial championship in mid-2025.
