In a packed arena, Hanifan (Indonesia) and Thai Linah Nguyen (Vietnam) were opponents in final match (Class C, Male Tanding, Silat sparring) in Pencak Silat at the 2018 Asian Games. It was the first time Pencak Silat would be contested in the Asian Games, the second largest multi-sport event after the Olympic Games. During the recent months, a fierce political battle between current Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and contender Mr. Prabowo Subianto was brewing. Both politicians came to the arena to watch the Pencak Silat finals.
In the final round, Hanifan was down by points because of several violations he commited in earlier rounds. However, during the final seconds of the match, Hanifan managed to regain his lead which lead to a split decision by the judges – giving Hanifan the win. Overwhelmed with joy, he ran around the arena carrying the Indonesian flag, made a sajda-shukur (prostration of thanks) and then immediately ran up to salute Mr. Prabowo (who also happened to be the President of the Indonesian Pencak Silat Federation – IPSI) and the other dignitaries in the VIP section. Hanifan hugs Mr. Prabowo, then spontaneously pulls Prabowo’s rival, President Jokowi, into a group hug.
This spur-of-the-moment act made the crowd of more than 3,000 spectators erupt in thunderous applause and cheering. The images of this moment immediately went viral as a unifying symbol during a turbulent political time.
Although, this incident boosted Hanifan’s celebrity status, he was already a popular athlete in the Pencak Silat world. He was known for his animated, flamboyant style of fighting that made him very entertaining to watch.
Hanifan Yudani Kusumah was born October, 25 1997, which made him a fairly young competitor at the time – only 20 years old. Growing up, he actually wanted to be a soccer player like his grandfather who had played for the Indonesian professional football team called Persib in the 60’s. His parents, however, encouraged him to train in Silat at an early age.
Hanifan’s father, Dani Wisnu was also an exceptional Pencak Silat athlete. He was a champion at the World Pencak Silat tournament in 1986. He also was a two-time a gold medalist at the SEA Games. Hanifan’s mother Dewi Yanti Kosasih was also a Silat practitioner who had participated in international competitions. At a young age, they entered him into the perguruan (Silat school) Tadjimalela. His parents pushed him to practice his Silat kicks on a daily basis.
His parents deliberately took him to watch international Pencak Silat tournaments. By the time he was a teen, he was training and practicing on his own, working towards trying to make the national team. In 2010, he was accepted on the Indonesian Pencak Silat national team.
Hanifan enjoyed a series of wins leading up to Asian Games in 2018, including gold at the 2016 world championships in Bali, Gold at the PON (Indonesian National Games) in 2016 and gold at the Belgium Open 2017. He also suffered some losses at 2017 SEA Games (bronze) and a silver at the 2019 SEA Games, where he was caught by a scissors technique from Zulfazli Bin Zulfakar from Malaysia.
Despite a few setbacks, Hanifan is still one of the most popular Silat athletes with a huge online fanbase with over a half-million subscribers on Instagram and TikTok. He even started his own clothing line. In 2018 after the Asian Games, he proposed to Pipet Kamila on National TV, who is also a Pencak Silat champion and Asian Games gold medalist. They got officially married soon afterwards and visited Mecca together in January 2020.
On December 19, 2020, Hanifan’s father Dani Winsu passed away. A sad moment for Hanifan who owed much of his success to the dedication and tutelage of this father. Hanifan posted the sad news on Instagram:
“To God we belong and to him we return, my beloved father, my dear father, my father is not sick anymore, my father is (now) calm in heaven. God willing, your son will be a pious child who keeps praying for you … you have to be calm, okay, dear. You haven’t seen (me as) the champion of the Sea Games yet, (you) haven’t seen (me as) the champion of the 2x PON (Indonesian National Games),… You are loved by God and God loves you, God willing, you are sincere. I can’t practice with you anymore, hopefully you can practice in your dreams with me, father.”
