Jakarta, IO – Indonesia added three more gold medals from Kun Bokator at the 2023 SEA Games held at the Chory Changvar International Convention and Exhibition Center, Phnom Penh, Cambodia on Monday (8/5). This brings the total gold medal won by Indonesia to 19.
“Congratulations to Kun Bokator athletes for winning three gold medals for Indonesia,” announced the Sports and Youth Ministry through its official Instagram handle.
The first gold from this sport was won by the trio of Muhammad Martin Ramadhan, Tedi Hidayat and Sandiagi Putra. They managed to get the best score in the Men’s Bare Hand Form Group. Meanwhile, Cambodia ranked second and Laos third.
Then the second gold was won by the trio Riana Oktavia, Riva Hojriah and Eni Tri Susilowati. They were victorious in the Women’s Bare Hand Form Group, beating the host country. The Philippines came on third.
The third gold was presented by Gema Nur Arifin and Yazid Hanifam Kurniawan from Men’s Duo Group Performance.
In addition to three gold medals, Indonesia also won one silver and one bronze. So, what is Kun Bokator? If you didn’t already know it, Kun Bokator is a traditional martial art from Cambodia which literally means “to beat the lion.”
The movements combine various fighting techniques such as elbow punches, kicks, shin strikes, locks, throws and grappling accompanied by traditional Cambodian music.
Read: Indonesia beat Myanmar 5-0 in 2023 SEA Games
It is said to have existed for more than 1,000 years since the time of the Khmer empire, which was passed down from generation to generation and become one of Cambodia’s national sports.
Kun Bokator is also growing in popularity in Southeast Asia and made it into the SEA Games just one year after it was included in the list of UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. (bp)