Manama, Bahrain, October 20, 2025:
Just three weeks after taking his first lesson in Pencak Silat, Bahrain’s Abdulla Qassim made history by winning the host nation’s first medal at the 3rd Asian Youth Games (AYG) on Monday, October 20.
Competing in the boys’ 51kg–55kg category, Abdulla earned a silver medal after a hard-fought final against Indonesia’s Furgon Habbil Winata. His remarkable achievement was met with thunderous applause from the home crowd at Exhibition World Bahrain, as fans proudly celebrated the Kingdom’s first podium finish of the Games.
Few in attendance realized the challenge Abdulla had overcome to reach this milestone.
“I only trained for three weeks with coaches from Indonesia. I do kickboxing, so martial arts wasn’t new to me, but Pencak Silat definitely was,” said an elated Abdulla. “I’m really happy to have won this medal despite the short preparation time.”
The 15-year-old quickly became a national sensation, surrounded by Bahrain’s media after the medal ceremony — a proud moment marking the country’s breakthrough in the Games.
Pencak Silat, a traditional Indonesian martial art, was introduced as a late addition to the Bahrain AYG, alongside kurash, following approval from the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and the Bahrain Asian Youth Games Organising Committee.
Rafiq Radinal, Secretary General of the Pencak Silat Federation of Asia, expressed gratitude to the OCA for including the sport and shared his hopes for its expansion.
“We are very thankful to the OCA for giving us this opportunity,” said Rafiq. “Our goal now is to see Pencak Silat included in the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games next September. The sport is popular across Asia, and we believe Japan will welcome us. The OCA has always been supportive.”
Once confirmed as a medal sport in Bahrain, Indonesia ensured the host nation could participate by sending two expert coaches from Jakarta to train local athletes — including Abdulla.
“It’s incredible that Abdulla achieved a silver medal after only three weeks of training,” said Indonesian coach Riski Adi Wijaya. “He truly deserves this success.”
The coaches are now expected to stay in Bahrain until the end of the year to help establish a long-term structure for Pencak Silat’s development in the Kingdom.