We took time to talk to one of our most valued ambassadors and one of Indonesia’s most successful combat athletes form the world of Karate CHOKI UCIL. Choki has been in the world rankings top 10 and won many medals for Indonesia across several continents and we are confident will go on to win a lot more in the months to come. You can follow Choki’s journey on our channels but first lets see what she had to say…

HOW ARE YOU TODAY CHOKI?

• I am very good. As usual, I'm really busy preparing and practicing for upcoming events

WHERE ARE YOU BASED AND WHERE ARE YOU FROM?

• I come from the island of Bali, I was born in the Klungkung Regency in the east of Bali but I grew up in the Jembrana district which is a small district on the western tip of the island of Bali. I spent my childhood in Jimbrana with my grandparents until I graduated.
• But since 2013 until now I have been based in Jakarta as one of the members of the Indonesian National Karate Team where we train for our various events.

HOW DID YOU GET INTO KARATE AND WHAT MADE YOU CHOOSE FULL-CONTACT KARATE?

• I started when I was just 11 years old, originally as a hobby to fill up my spare time with positive activities and the training area was only 400m from my home, but I had no idea this sport would bring me to where I am now.
• I chose Full Contact Karate (Kumite) because from when I was kid I often watched Bruce Lee, and Jackie Chan and I always tried to practice their moves that I saw in the movies at home with my younger brother , and when I started to practice karate my coach pushed me towards Kumite.

WHEN DID YOU BEGIN TO REALISE YOU HAD A SPECIAL TALENT?

• I believe that everyone in this world has a special talent. And when I realized my talent was Karate I understood this was my thing and I chose it as my sport and became more and more obsessed with the sport.I began to practice more, I began to really enjoy every fight I had with new opponents, facing my fears. I learned to accept the pain from a blow or a kick.So, in my opinion, special talent is not only a gift given by God, but how we harmonize hard work, discipline, and dedication together and combine it with the talent itself.

WHAT WAS IT LIKE WHEN YOU GOT CALLED UP TO THE NATIONAL TEAM… HOW DID YOU FEEL?

• The first time I got called up to join the national team I was really happy. I never believed this dream could really happen, that I could be called up to be a member of the squad full of senior athletes who performed all around the world. On the other hand, I was also a little nervous as I was the youngest athlete on the team at that time. I didn’t have much experience and felt I lacked the knowledge of karate, especially Kumite.

WHAT HAVE BEEN YOUR PROUDEST ACHIEVEMENTS?

• My proudest achievement was in 2017/8 where along with 2 other karateka girls we were in the world top 10 rankings. I think that was my biggest achievement because nobody expected me to get to that point, and it was really hard, lots of hurdles and obstacles to overcome so that made me really proud.

FOR YOUNG GIRLS LOOKING TO GET INTO KARATE WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR THEM?

• For young girls who are thinking of or starting out in karate, just enjoy it, be happy in what you do and train every day. Set yourself a goal with your training, learn your strengths and weaknesses, and always remember to achieve your goals you will need hard work, dedication, discipline and a very strong commitment and always believe that anything is possible.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT ADIDAS?

• Personally, I believe that Adidas is a brand that prioritizes safety for martial arts athletes. Compared to other brands Adidas offers the best protection. As an example, the hand and feet protectors are made from really good material that minimizes injuries in competitions. It's also very comfortable to use, and very light but durable even during the toughest fights.

 WHEN CAN WE NEXT SEE YOU FIGHT, WHAT EVENTS DO YOU HAVE COMING UP?

• I have a number of big events coming up including

1. Islamic Solidarity Games on August 17-18 in Turkey
2. Karate 1 Premier League from 2-4 September, in Azerbaijan.
3. Karate 1 Series A 18-20 November, in Jakarta
4. AKF Championships 16-20 December, in Uzbekistan.