906 Archery Athletes from 29 Provinces Showcase Accuracy at the MilkLife Archery Challenge National Junior Championship 2026

Bakti Olahraga Djarum Foundation and MilkLife, in collaboration with PB Persatuan Panahan Indonesia (PB Perpani), are holding the MilkLife Archery Challenge National Junior Championship (Kejurnas) 2026, which will take place at Supersoccer Arena, Kudus, Central Java, from July 22-29, 2026. A total of 906 athletes from 29 provinces in Indonesia are aiming for the championship title while proving themselves as the promising archers of Indonesia.

The Chairperson of the MilkLife Archery Challenge Junior National Championship 2026, Vera Eka Wardani, said that the enthusiasm of young archers shows a positive trend reflected in the increase in the number of participants compared to last year, which had 876 young archers. This is a breath of fresh air in strengthening the ecosystem and regeneration of archery athletes in Indonesia.

"Not only from the increased number, the competitive atmosphere at this year's national championship has become very competitive, so it is expected to become one of the important barometers in the national archery development map." Supported by an internationally standard venue, providing junior athletes with experience in facing world-class competitions from an early age. The MilkLife Archery Challenge Junior National Championship is expected to produce a generation of outstanding, resilient, and competitive Indonesian archery athletes on the world stage," said Vera.

The MilkLife Archery Challenge Kejurnas Junior is an advanced phase initiated by the Bakti Olahraga Djarum Foundation to develop the potential of archery in Indonesia. Previously, in collaboration with Perpani Kudus, the MilkLife Archery Challenge was also held annually, targeting students from Madrasah Ibtidaiyah (MI) and Elementary Schools (SD) in Central Java and surrounding areas.

"With the MilkLife Archery Challenge for elementary and MI school students as well as the Junior National Championship, we are striving to build a tiered archery training foundation that is expected to discover quality seeds, so that this sport can make a significant impact at the international level." "Hopefully, we can produce new heroines like the era of the Three Heroines who won a silver medal at the Seoul Olympics 38 years ago," said Vera.

The MilkLife Archery Challenge Kejurnas Junior is an advanced phase initiated by the Bakti Olahraga Djarum Foundation to develop the potential of archery in Indonesia. Previously, in collaboration with Perpani Kudus, the MilkLife Archery Challenge was also held annually, targeting students from Madrasah Ibtidaiyah (MI) and Elementary Schools (SD) in Central Java and surrounding areas.

"With the MilkLife Archery Challenge for elementary and MI school students as well as the Junior National Championship, we are striving to build a tiered archery training foundation that is expected to discover quality seeds, so that this sport can make a significant impact at the international level." "Hopefully, we can produce new heroines like the era of the Three Heroines who won a silver medal at the Seoul Olympics 38 years ago," said Vera.

In this edition, the MilkLife Archery Challenge Junior National Championship 2026 features three divisions: National (U10, U13, U15, and U18), Recurve (U13, U15, and U18), and Compound (U13, U15, and U18). All athletes first undergo the qualification round to determine their rankings as the basis for the elimination bracket, before competing head-to-head until the final match. In the National and Recurve divisions, the matches use a set point system where archers accumulate the most points in three series to secure their advancement to the next round. In the Compound division, the scoring is based on the total score from five series to determine the winner in each round.

One of the contingents that arrived with full enthusiasm was the Riau Islands (Kepri), fielding 55 athletes in the U10, U13, U15, and U18 categories across all contested divisions. Instead of aiming for the highest podium, the Bumi Segantang Lada squad actually wants to experience the competitive match atmosphere with tough opponents from various regions at the MilkLife Archery Challenge Junior National Championship.

"Alhamdulillah, this year's results exceeded expectations because we were able to compete with strong contingents from Java Island and brought home more medals than last year." Thank you to the Bakti Olahraga Djarum Foundation for facilitating the organization of the Junior National Championship at such an excellent 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 the athletes. Championships like this are also important for maintaining the structured development of athletes from U10 to U18 so that the seeds of Indonesian archers can continue to be prepared for higher levels, including national training camps and international championships," said the archery coach of the Kepri contingent, Budi Darmawan Tanjung.

Not only from the Riau Islands, the motivation to compete in the MilkLife Archery Challenge Junior National Championship also comes from East Kalimantan. One of the archers from Benua Etam, Khairunnisa, successfully bagged three gold medals and one bronze in the U-15 Girls' Compound division. In the final match of the individual category, the 14-year-old archer overcame the challenge from Rania Shafiyyah Hannha from Bengkulu with a score of 140-134. That achievement was the result of hard work during training and the full support of both parents, who continuously encouraged her to participate and perform in the Junior National Championship despite initial doubts due to financial constraints.