P

encak silat athletes from Bali were crowned the overall champions of the 9th Perisai Diri International Championships on Wednesday evening, bringing home the President of Indonesia trophy.

Bali, 2014’s champion, defended the title after collecting 17 gold medals, 10 silver and 11 bronze.

“We’re so happy to be able to defend the title. We’re also glad to have met international pencak silat athletes in such a warm and friendly event,” said Brendan Martin, the manager of the Bali team.

The event, held in Malang from Oct. 26, was attended by 436 athletes from Indonesia, Australia, Timor Leste and Japan.

Indonesia was represented by hundreds of athletes, who were categorized into 19 teams: West Java, Banten, Jakarta, Central Java, Yogyakarta, East Java A and East Java B, Bali, South Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, West Sumatra, South Sumatra, South Sulawesi, Riau, Banten, East Nusa Tenggara and West Nusa Tenggara.

Second placed East Java A finished with 11 gold, eight silver and 17 bronze medals, while third place finisher West Java scored eight gold, 10 silver and 10 bronze.

The Perisai Diri International Championships started in 1990 featuring Indonesia, Germany, Netherlands and Australia.