Cok Istri Agung Sanistyrani Takes the Podium at the 2026 Asian Games, Contributing a Bronze Medal

Indonesian karate athlete Cok Istri Agung Sanistyrani claimed the bronze medal in the women's kumite -55 kg category at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Cok Istri defeated Singaporean karateka Hafezan Marissa in the bronze medal match held at Toyohashi City General Gymnasium, Japan on Tuesday.

Cok Istri advanced to the bronze medal playoff after suffering an 0-8 defeat against Iranian karateka Fatemehzahra Saeidabadi in the semi-final round. However, she managed to bounce back when the final chance to secure a podium finish arrived.

In the bronze medal decider, Cok Istri secured a 7-3 victory over Hafezan.

"That was Coki's maximum performance. We have to admit that the Iranian athlete simply put on a better showing," stated Indonesia national karate coach Jintar Simanjuntak.

Cok Istri's Road To The Podium

Cok Istri's journey to the semi-finals began in the Round of 16. She opened her campaign in the women's kumite -55 kg division with a 6-1 win over Alisha.

Her next challenge came in the quarter-final round. Cok Istri once again delivered a solid performance, defeating Macau's karateka Lei Hong Kio with an 8-5 scoreline. These two consecutive wins booked her spot in the semi-finals.

However, the semi-final stage presented an opponent of a different calibre. Saeidabadi fought with far greater efficiency, ending Cok Istri's run with a dominant 0-8 victory.

Failure to reach the final did not break her fighting spirit.

In this situation, full focus had to be shifted immediately. The bronze medal match became the final opportunity to turn the semi-final defeat into a medal finish.

Bouncing Back In The Decider Match

The bout against Hafezan served as a major mental test following the heavy semi-final defeat. Cok Istri managed to rediscover her rhythm while maintaining full concentration, determined not to let her podium chance slip away.

She rose to the challenge with an efficient performance, closing out the match with a 7-3 win.

This result confirmed Cok Istri as one of the Indonesian athletes that successfully brought home a karate medal from the Aichi-Nagoya Games.

Asian Games Medal Target

From the very beginning, the Indonesian karate team did not place any specific medal burden on Cok Istri. The only objective set was to bring home any medal from the Asian Games.

Jintar confirmed that this target had been communicated clearly to the athlete from the start.

"Our only target for Coki was just to win a medal. Any medal at all," Jintar explained.

That target has now been fulfilled.

This bronze medal is the tangible result of Cok Istri's fight across three matches: starting from the Round of 16, the quarter-finals, all the way through to the bronze medal playoff.

For the Indonesian karate squad, this result also reinforces that the women's kumite division is capable of delivering contributions for the Red and White contingent.

Adding To Indonesia's Karate Medal Tally

Cok Istri is not the first Indonesian karate athlete to secure a medal at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

Previously, Leica Al Humaira Lubis had already claimed a bronze medal in the women's kumite +68 kg category.

Leica earned her podium finish after defeating Kyrgyzstan's karateka Begimai Orozalieva 6-1 in the bronze medal match held on Sunday, 20 September.

These two bronze medals from the women's kumite events mark Indonesia's karate campaign so far at the 2026 Asian Games.

This progress carries significance, as the Central Board of the Indonesian Karate-Do Sports Federation (PB Forki) travelled to Aichi-Nagoya with a squad of six karate athletes, having set an official target of winning a gold medal at the Games.

Alongside Cok Istri and Leica, the other four athletes in the squad are Marzella Sekar Damayanti competing in women's kata, Christopher Elbert Setiabudi in men's kata, Daniel Hutapea in men's kumite +84 kg, and Muhammad Tegar Januar in men's kumite -55 kg.