Singaporean athlete Jeralyn Tan has made history by becoming the country’s first-ever medalist in boccia, winning a silver at the Paris Paralympics. Tan, who is the world number 2 in the sport, competed in the women’s individual BC1 final against French athlete Aurelie Aubert, ranked 16th in the world. Although Tan had beaten Aubert 6-1 in the preliminary pool round, Aubert made a comeback in the final and won 5-4.
Despite losing, Tan’s performance marks an extraordinary achievement. She becomes only the fourth Singaporean athlete in history to win a Paralympic medal, joining swimmers Yip Pin Xiu and Theresa Goh, and equestrian Laurentia Tan.
Boccia is a target ball sport played by athletes in wheelchairs, who throw balls towards a jack with the aim of landing their ball as close as possible or to knock their opponent’s ball out of the way. Tan, who has been playing boccia since 2008, picked up the sport as a student at the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore (CPAS) School. Since then, she has represented Singapore at the ASEAN Para Games and the world championships, winning multiple medals.
Tan’s journey to the Paralympic podium wasn’t easy. She topped Pool B after beating Aubert and Spain’s Amagoia Arrieta before winning quarter-final against Brazil’s world number 1 Andreza Oliveira. In the semi-finals, she defeated Japan’s Hiromi Endo 5-1.
Speaking to Channel NewsAsia after the final, Tan expressed her gratitude to her supporters and vowed to continue striving for excellence. She said, “Thanks for all the supporters to cheer me up, and also, I did like work hard, very best already, but I will come back and go for it again.”
Overall, Tan’s historic medal at the Paris Paralympics is a testament to her dedication and perseverance, and embodies the spirit of the games.
