The Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara (UMSU) students ranked first in the Thailand Open Karate-Do Championship held in Phuket, Thailand 18 to 23 August 2022. More than 700 foreign athletes from 24 countries participated in this championship, including Brazil, Turkey, Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Philippines, India, Nepal, Cambodia, Vietnam, Iran, Singapore, Netherlands, Bruney Darussalam, Australia, and others.
UMSU sent a delegation of Nicky Dwi Oktari (-61 kg female), M Arif Fadhila (+84 kg), and Reza Mahendra (-84 kg). Alhamdulillah, the UMSU Karate UKM athlete, achieved a proud 1st place (gold) on behalf of M Arif Fhadila +84 kilograms. In addition, a Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) student won the gold medal after defeating a Malaysian athlete in the final.
This championship is one of the prestigious karate championships because it can add points to the Olympic title,
“In this championship, we are targeting 1 medal. Thank God it was achieved,” said Radiman, UMSU Karate Coach.
The Head of UMSU also said, on this occasion, M Arif expressed his deepest gratitude to UMSU, “Especially for the Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor who have provided guidance and opportunities for UMSU Karate UKM athletes to take part in a championship of this magnitude. The hope is that in the future, the next generation will continue to bring out the name of UMSU at the national and international levels.
The UMSU Karate UKM trainers Elza and Nova Sinaga, who Elpiyan accompanied as athletes, and the UKM Chair also conveyed their pride. They saluted the enthusiasm and hard work shown by all athletes.
“For Arif, don’t be complacent and keep practicing. Hopefully, in the future, we can make even more brilliant achievements,” said Nova. It is known that UMSU is a Muhammadiyah Higher Education that guides its students in all fields, from academics and arts to sports. So far, UMSU students have made a lot of achievements at the regional, national, and even international levels.
