The Winding Road to Becoming a World-Class Karateka
As one of the martial arts, Karate has never stopped producing golden generations. This sport originated in Indonesia, so it’s natural that many aspiring Karate athletes come from Indonesia.
NYXS has successfully gathered young Karate athletes who have a long journey to reach their dream of becoming world-class athletes. Curious? Follow their stories below.
Khairina Alyazati Arkani
This 17-year-old woman has stolen the world’s attention through Karate. A student at SMAN 10 Kota Bandung, she once won the WKF (World Karate Federation) Series A senior world championship title in 2022. Despite her young age, she is not hesitant when facing older opponents.
Failure, boredom, and the desire to give up often haunt her. The woman, known as Kharin, is often encouraged by her father not to give up. As a result, she has achieved a series of accomplishments.
In some situations, Kharin has felt a lack of confidence. Because martial arts are still dominated and identified with masculinity that is attached to men.
However, she has made peace with the situation. Now, she is focused on practicing to achieve her childhood dreams that she often writes in her diary, namely to win the Olympic stage.
Muhammad Haditama Wardhana
He is only 12 years old. However, at a young age, Tama, his nickname, has a height of 160 cm.
This ideal body posture has led Tama to win various competitions, including 1st place in the 50+ kilogram (kg) men’s category at the Banten Province level in 2023. Although still wearing a white-red uniform, he managed to subdue his opponents who were older than him.
In addition, Tama also gets full support from both of his parents. Tama, who started learning Karate when he was in first grade of elementary school, is now one of the youngest holders of a brown belt in the school where he learns. “I want to make Indonesia proud,” when asked about his hopes for the future.
Gabriel Sitorus
This young man, who is called Gab, was born and raised in Jakarta. However, Gab has pure Batak blood in his body. His father and mother are native Batak people. This young man, who is 183 cm tall, already has a black belt Dan-1. A great achievement considering that this man is only 16 years old.
A student at SMAN 68 Central Jakarta, he has a series of achievements, one of which is 1st place in the Kumite Junior 76 kg at the Shokaido National Championship for the MPR RI Cup.
With strong determination and confidence, he is now undergoing heavy training sessions with the target of qualifying as one of the Karate National Team athletes in Indonesia.
Malini Anggaresta
Born into a humble family, strong determination enabled this 18-year-old woman to win the WKF Series A senior class world championship in 2022. Malini, who has a height of 156 cm, has won various championships at the regional to international levels.
Initially, Malini started learning Karate in junior high school because she wanted to protect herself. Her goal was that Malini did not want to rely on others if undesirable things happened. “At first, I wanted to protect myself, but then I was chosen to participate in championships since junior high school,” she said.
However, at the beginning of Malini’s journey in practicing karate, it was not easy. She admits that the challenge was in the cost. “The obstacle is in the cost, but my parents made every effort to enable me to continue practicing karate,” she added.
As a 12th-grade student at SMKN 1 Mundu, Cirebon Regency, Malini has brought honor to the nation through her talent in sports. Despite her father’s profession as a driver, Malini’s aspirations to become a teacher or a police officer are in line with her talents.
