A 12-year-old girl of Vietnamese-Australian heritage has taken out the Best Female Fighter award and first place in the pre-teen tanding division at the 2026 Victorian Pencak Silat Championship. Kaila has no Indonesian ancestry. The martial art found its way into her life through her uncle from Bali.
Inside a packed Collingwood Town Hall, all eyes turned to the arena. A young fighter with braided hair stood at the centre in a black uniform, hands raised in a fighting stance, fixed on her opponent. Kaila Lloyd launched a kick. Her opponent blocked and countered. The two traded blows for several minutes. The referee finally raised Kyla's hand. The 12-year-old had won.
Kaila did not just win one fight. On Sunday 21 June 2026, she claimed first place in the tanding class A and seni pre-teen female categories at the Victorian Pencak Silat Championship. The Australian Pencak Silat Federation (APSF) Victoria organised the annual event, which brought together 64 athletes from 11 schools.
What makes Kaila's story stand out is not just her results. She is not part of the Indonesian diaspora. Her mum is from the Vietnamese diaspora and her dad is Australian. Pencak silat entered her life through a family connection: her uncle, her dad's brother-in-law, Made Muzir.
Four years ago, her dad took Kaila to a training session where she watched adults move through pencak silat techniques. She thought they looked cool and wanted in straight away, Simon said. Kaila started with seni, the artistic side of pencak silat, before moving into tanding, the combat discipline, he added.
"It's really instilled self-confidence in her. She's a lot stronger physically and mentally, and it's definitely brought her out of her shell," Simon Lloyd, Kaila's dad, told SBS Indonesian.
Simon said pencak silat has also opened up his family's connection with the Indonesian community in Melbourne. Kaila trains at the Bakti Nagara school, a Balinese-style silat school with a diverse membership, including people from the Indonesian and Filipino diasporas. The school feels like a family, Simon said.
We've always encouraged her to just go out there and enjoy it and do her best. She loves silat, and I think that's why she gets the best out of herselfSimon Lloyd, Kyla's dad.
Pencak silat is a traditional Indonesian martial art that UNESCO inscribed on its Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2019, and the practice continues to grow across Australia.
When asked what she enjoys most about pencak silat, Kaila did not mention trophies or victories. "Going to silat every Saturday and seeing my friends," Kaila said.
The national championship is set for next year. Kaila has a strong chance of competing at a higher level. But for now, every Saturday, the girl with braided hair turns up for training, raises her hands into a fighting stance, and gets ready to fight.
Listen to the full interview on the SBS Indonesian podcast.
