Central Java Wins Overall Champion Title at the MilkLife Archery Challenge National Junior Championship 2026

The Central Java contingent successfully maintained their status as the overall champion of the MilkLife Archery Challenge National Junior Championship 2026, which took place at Supersoccer Arena, Kudus, from July 22-29, 2026. In the archery competition initiated by the Bakti Olahraga Djarum Foundation in collaboration with the Indonesian Archery Association (Perpani) and MilkLife, the Jawi Madya squad successfully collected 26 gold medals, 22 silver medals, and 30 bronze medals.

With a strength of 80 athletes competing in the U10, U13, U15, and U18 categories across three divisions—Recurve, Compound, and National—Central Java's contingent once again demonstrated its dominance. This title also marks the fifth consecutive overall championship win for the team under the auspices of Perpani Central Java at the Junior National Championship since 2022.

"This achievement is inseparable from the consistent performance of Central Java athletes." They are athletes who have been selected from the Junior Provincial Championship last May, and then prepared to fight and showcase their best at this Junior National Championship. We hope that the potential talent of these young athletes from Central Java can serve as a foundation for future events such as Popnas or the Senior National Championships. "This time the challenge was not easy because the wind direction often changed quickly, but our athletes' keen decision-making brought their arrows to the target," said the Head of the Central Java Contingent, Martin Sudarmono.

Central Java's gold medal tally was concluded by Jabr Rajaa’Challe, who competed in the U15 National Individual Boys category. Facing Muhammad Airlangga Ramadhan Adz Zikra from the East Java contingent in the final match, Jabr was able to perform calmly in five series with a set point of 6-4. The archer from Jepara, who has just experienced the atmosphere of the national championship, also won a gold medal in the U-15 National Men's Team event.

"I didn't expect to reach the finals and win gold, because this is my first time participating in the national championship after taking up archery since 2023. Last year, I hesitated to join because I wasn't confident in my shooting." But this time I proved the results of my training and dared to compete at the national level. "This gold medal is dedicated to my parents, my coach, and Central Java," said Jabr.

Print the Regeneration of Outstanding Archery Athletes

The Deputy Chairman II for Development and Achievement of PB Perpani, Abdul Razak, stated that the organization of the MilkLife Archery Challenge Junior National Championship 2026 serves as 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 a competitive mindset thru internationally standard events. Thus, it is hoped that young archers can prepare themselves thoroughly until they are ready to strengthen the national team in the future.

"The quality of young archers this year has improved, as seen from the highly competitive medal race." This is a positive signal for the development of archery in the sense that archers from various regions can compete closely with each other. Our hope is that more quality events can serve as a crucible for young athletes who will become the next generation of senior archers. We also appreciate the Djarum Foundation for providing facilities and organizing the event with standards close to the Archery World Cup. Experiences like this are very important for young athletes to get used to the atmosphere of professional competitions and to be ready to compete when they appear on the international stage," said Razak.

Razak added that the development of archery in Indonesia is on the right track thru the presence of a tiered national-level competition starting from an early age as a form of habituation. This is part of the effort to continue the good achievements that have been nurtured by Perpani. "Archery has become one of Indonesia's leading sports that has already 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 to sing the Indonesian national anthem on the world stage in the next 10 to 15 years," concluded Razak.

In line with this, Program Associate of Bakti Olahraga Djarum Foundation, Edi Supriyanto, stated that the organization of the MilkLife Archery Challenge Junior National Championship 2026 is a manifestation of a sustainable commitment to strengthening the ecosystem of archery development in Indonesia. Moreover, Indonesian archery already has a proud track record of achievements, starting from the silver medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics thru the trio of heroines Nurfitriyana Saiman, Kusuma Wardhani, and Lilies Handayani, to the five gold medals won at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand in the individual recurve, men's and women's team, and individual and women's team compound events. These achievements serve as both a spark and a motivation to further explore the great potential of Indonesian archery athletes.

"We believe that achievements are not born instantly, but are built thru structured and continuous development." After getting to know and pursuing archery thru the MilkLife Archery Challenge, they have the opportunity to challenge themselves to a more competitive level, such as in this junior national championship. With structured and consistent training, we hope that many potential archers will emerge to continue Indonesia's tradition of excellence in various international championships, including the Olympics," said Edi.

In addition, the organization of the MilkLife Archery Challenge Junior National Championship this year is expected to further strengthen Kudus's image as a sports tourism city. Previously, the Bakti Olahraga Djarum Foundation has also held various national-level sports tournaments such as the MilkLife Soccer Challenge All-Stars 2026 (June) and the HYDROPLUS Soccer League All-Stars 2026 (July). Next month, the Srikandi Merdeka Cup 2026 will also be held, featuring U-16 women's national football teams from seven countries: Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.

"The presence of athletes, officials, and even supporters from various regions in Kudus provides a multiplier effect for the community." Thus, sports not only serve as a means of fostering achievements but also have the potential to drive sports tourism and the local economy. "Our hope is that Kudus becomes increasingly known as a city with a strong sports ecosystem and hosts various prestigious championships," said Edi.

Here is the list of winners of the MilkLife Archery Challenge National Junior Championship 2026:

No	Region Name	Medal Acquisition			Total
		Gold	Silver	Bronze
1	Central Java	26	22	30	78
2	WestJava	20	18	18	56
3	DKI Jakarta	18	11	20	49
4	Special Region of Yogyakarta	17	8	7	32
5	East Kalimantan	9	7	2	18
6	Riau Islands	7	8	9	24