USU PR – Students of Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU) achieved another remarkable accomplishment in sports. The USU Taekwondo Student Activity Unit (UKM Taekwondo) won a total of 18 medals at the 2026 North Sumatra National Taekwondo Championship, held from Friday to Sunday (June 25–28, 2026). The championship attracted approximately 1,500 athletes from 10 provinces across Indonesia.

At the competition, the USU Taekwondo Club fielded 18 student-athletes competing in the Kyorugi (sparring) and Poomsae (forms) categories. Across all events, the USU contingent secured an impressive haul of 9 gold medals, 4 silver medals, and 5 bronze medals.

The Director of Student Affairs and Alumni of USU, Prof. Dr. Agus Purwoko, S.Hut., M.Si., expressed his appreciation for the team's outstanding achievement. He noted that the success of the USU Taekwondo Club reflects the university's ongoing commitment to fostering student excellence beyond academics.

"We congratulate all athletes of the USU Taekwondo Club on their outstanding achievement. This success reflects the students' hard work, discipline, and determination in developing their potential in sports," said Prof. Agus.

On the same occasion, A. Harpindo Ginting, President of the USU Taekwondo Club, explained that the achievement was the result of approximately two months of carefully planned and intensive training.

"We underwent intensive training every day, with sessions progressing from light to high intensity. We trained five to six times a week over the course of two months," he explained.

He also revealed that the greatest challenge faced by the athletes was maintaining a balance between their academic responsibilities and competition preparation.

According to Harpindo, the athletes had to manage their time effectively to ensure that both their academic commitments and training schedules could be maintained. Most of them continued attending classes and even sat for their final semester examinations while following an intensive training program.

"We had to apply effective time management to cope with our demanding class schedules. During the recent final examinations, we still had to keep up with our regular training sessions," he said.

At the end of the interview, Harpindo encouraged all USU students and young Indonesian athletes to continue developing their potential and to embrace new challenges without fear.

"Stay motivated, all USU students and young athletes across Indonesia. Don't be afraid to try new things, grow, and step outside your comfort zone. Achievement is not only about winning—it is about the journey, consistency, and continuously learning from every experience," he concluded.