At a Glance

• Athlete: Andi Sultan Altaf Mirza
• Score: 8.540 points
• Event: 8th Asian Taekwondo Indonesia Open Championships 2026
• Venue: Tennis Indoor Senayan, Jakarta Sunday, August 2, 2026

Indonesian taekwondo athlete Andi Sultan won the gold medal in the Poomsae Freestyle Individual Men Over 17 category at the 8th Asian Taekwondo Indonesia Open Championships 2026. The final took place at Tennis Indoor Senayan in Jakarta on Sunday, August 2, 2026. Andi locked in the win with a score of 8.540 points, then raised the Indonesian flag on the podium in front of a packed, masked-up crowd. It was one of seven gold medals Indonesian poomsae athletes collected over the two-day competition.

What Is Poomsae Freestyle, and Why Does It Matter?

Poomsae is the "forms" side of taekwondo  patterned sequences of kicks, blocks, and stances, scored on precision and power. Freestyle is the flashier cousin: athletes mix in acrobatics and creative choreography on top of traditional technique. It's judged, not fought, which means the pressure is different from sparring  one wobble on landing and the score drops in front of everyone.

That distinction matters for Andi's season. He's also training in "recognized" poomsae  the strict, traditional format  ahead of the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya later this year. He has said his recognized poomsae still needs a lot of polishing, and that he's adjusting with about two months left before the Games.

How Much Does It Take to Win Poomsae Gold in Indonesia?
An 8.540 might not sound dramatic on paper, but in freestyle poomsae, judges are grading fractions of a point across technique, presentation, and difficulty. Andi's score was enough to beat a home-turf field that included Wawan Saputra, who took bronze in the same Men Over 17 Freestyle category. The margins in this sport are usually decided by how clean a landing looks, not how high a kick goes.

Where Does This Fit in Indonesia's Bigger Taekwondo Push?
Indonesian poomsae athletes didn't stop at one gold. Across the two days of competition, the host nation collected 7 golds, 4 silvers, and 7 bronzes  an 18-medal haul before the kyorugi (sparring) events even started on August 3. Andi is also the only poomsae athlete selected by the Indonesian Taekwondo Association (PBTI) to represent the country at the Asian Games, alongside two kyorugi fighters, Muhammad Bassam Raihan and Arya Danu Susilo.

That's the surprising part for casual fans: poomsae rarely gets the spotlight sparring does, yet it's currently Indonesia's strongest event at this tournament  and the only one sending a solo athlete to the Asian Games.

The gym floor at Tennis Indoor Senayan smelled like fresh mats and sweat under the arena lights, with LED screens flashing behind every match  a small-scale preview of what the Asian Games venue will feel like in a few months.