West Java, DKI Jakarta, and East Java performed dominantly in different sports at the 2025 National Sports Week (PON) for Self-Defense in Kudus Regency, Central Java.
West Java showed its superiority in taekwondo with 14 medals, consisting of 10 gold and 4 bronze.
This achievement further confirms West Java's position as one of Indonesia's main martial arts powers.
Meanwhile, DKI Jakarta was mighty in judo with seven gold medals, four silver, and four bronze.
Meanwhile, East Java dominated wrestling with six gold, three silver, and one bronze.
One of the gold medalists from East Java wrestling was Varadisa Septi Putri. She won the women's freestyle -76 kilogram title after defeating Agata Clara Garcia Br Tarigan of North Sumatra by a narrow 6–5 score in the final.
Also read: Siblings contribute two gold medals to West Sumatra at the PON Self-Defense Games
"I'm happy to have won a gold medal for East Java. I'm always determined to give my best in every official event so I can bring home gold for my region," Varadisa said after the match on Wednesday.
The athlete from Malang said that his interest in wrestling started when his older brother invited him when he was in the fifth grade of elementary school.
Since junior high school, he has joined extracurricular wrestling activities and has actively participated in various local championships in East Java.
Varadisa's continuously improving performance earned her the trust to strengthen East Java in various national championships, including representing Indonesia in the 2023 Cambodia SEA Games and the 2024 Korea Open International Wrestling Tournament.
In the judo branch, the name I Gede Agastya Darma from Bali is one of the highlights.
After a long absence due to a right knee injury since September 2024, Agastya returned to his brilliant form in the +100 kilogram (Kg) category by defeating Ardo Bambasta from DKI Jakarta to win the gold medal.
