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Asian Games: Pencak silat extends Indonesia’s gold medal-winning run
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Indonesia's Puspa Arumsari celebrates winning gold in the pencak silat women's single art category, at the 2018 Asian Games at Jakarta on August 27, 2018. (Inasgoc via Antara/Melvinas Priananda)
I
ndonesia bagged its first gold in pencak silat on Monday after its fighter Puspa Arumsari ran up the highest score in the women’s art category, allowing the country to maintain its gold medal-winning streak.
It was the 13th gold medal for Indonesia, three shy of the country’s set target with six days to go.
In her three-minute performance, 25-year-old Puspa mesmerized the crowd with two weapons; a sword and a rod made of rattan. Clad in red batik and head set, she started with a big smile to the jurors but this turned into a fierce look once she demonstrated her skills.
Puspa ended the match with a score of 465, two points higher than her previous mark in the preliminary round. “This is a gift for me, my parents and to our country. Gold is our expectation for this category and praise to God, we did it," she said after the game.
Her closest rival Singapore's Nurzuhairah Mohammad scored 445 points for the silver, while the bronze went to Cherry May Regalado of the Philippines with 444 points.
Pencak silat, an Indonesian martial art, is making its debut at the 2018 Asian Games. The event offers a total of eight gold medals on Monday.
