Angelica Calista Putri Julianto, an English Student at Universitas Dian Nuswantoro (Udinus), has recently emerged victorious in two different categories at the National Wushu Student Championship (Wugames) 2024. Angelica is a student of the 2024 class.
The Wugames took place from November 6 to 10, 2024 in the Auditorium of Universitas Indonesia. At the championship, Angelica won two different categories, namely, the Taiji Quan Zixuan Female category and the Taiji Jian Zixuan Female category. In these two categories, Angelica managed to secure both first places. The differences between these two categories lie in whether the athletes are allowed to use weapons or not.
“Taiji Quan is a form of hand-to-hand combat, while Taiji Jian is a martial art involving the use of swords or short weapons. At the event, I participated in the Zixuan or senior class,” Angelica, born in 2005, stated.
During her preparations, Angelica had previously prepared herself for roughly a month. According to her, the preparation was a bit sudden, as she had a knee injury. This physical condition was a major hindrance she faced.
“During the training, I was also taught various aspects, including fenduan, bandao, and centao. Thus, I could adjust my body and muscle condition to be physically fit and active,” he uttered.
Furthermore, she added that when her leg pain began to relapse, Angelica did not force herself. Instead, she trained to improve her legs’ power to her own capacity. Additionally, she also improved her stamina using her own method. For example, Angelica would do a centao with a fenduan, while it’s common for other athletes to only do a centao.
“Thank God, I was able to perform well and win two categories at the Wugames. As for my further target, I aim to give my best performance and get another gold medal in the upcoming Wushu event, namely the 2024 Regional Championship. Hopefully, I will be able to retain my good performance in the next events,” she concluded.
Dr. Rindra Yusianto, S.Kom., M.T., the Head of the Student Affairs Bureau at Udinus, also expressed his pride for the victories attained by Angelica. According to him, this proves that athletes from Udinus could shine their lights in various sport branches, including wushu.
“We will always support our athletes, regardless of their expertise, and this accomplishment shall also motivate other athletes to garner achievements. They will also receive support from us in earning further accomplishments, as well as their academic affairs,” he concluded. (Humas Udinus)