Singapore assured of historic Paralympic Boccia medal after Jeralyn Tan’s Semi-final win
SINGAPORE – Emotions ran high as Jeralyn Tan embraced her coach Yurnita Omar after securing a historic Paralympic Boccia Medal for Singapore at the South Paris Arena 1 on Sept 1. Earlier, the 35-year-old displayed remarkable composure and strategy, defeating Japan’s sixth-ranked Hiromi Endo 5-1 in the women’s individual BC1 semi-final.
With at least a silver guaranteed, Tan, a Paralympic debutante, will face home favorite and world No. 16 Aurelie Aubert in the final on Sept 2. Aubert had earlier edged out Bermuda’s Yushae DeSilva-Andrade in a tiebreak after their semi-final ended 2-2. Endo later claimed bronze by defeating DeSilva-Andrade 7-0.
An elated Tan expressed her gratitude, saying, “I’m touched by the support. We may be few, but I feel the kampung spirit. I’ll give my all in the final. With my fellow Singaporeans’ support, we will face this together.”
Boccia, an Italian word meaning “to bowl,” is a game played by wheelchair-using athletes with motor-skill impairments. The objective is to bowl balls as close as possible to a white target ball, known as the jack.
After each of the four rounds in individual matches, the player whose ball is closest to the jack scores one point, with additional points awarded for each ball closer to the jack than the opponent’s.
In the semi-final, Tan, using an underhand toss, aimed the jack to the near left corner, while Endo, using an overhand pitch, preferred the far right. Tan took the lead early and never looked back. A superb fourth throw in the second round left Endo with no options, and she chose not to play her remaining throws, conceding a 3-0 lead to Tan.
Endo attempted a comeback in the third round, but Tan’s brilliant fourth throw and final nudge secured an almost insurmountable 5-0 lead. The match ended after Endo tossed two balls out of play.
Tan, who has cerebral palsy, has been in outstanding form throughout these Paralympics. She won all her preliminary-round Pool B matches, including a victory over Aubert, and overcame Brazil’s world No. 1 Andreza Oliveira in the quarter-finals.
Jeralyn Tan’s Victory
This medal makes Tan Singapore’s fourth Paralympic medallist, joining swimmers Yip Pin Xiu and Theresa Goh, and equestrienne Laurentia Tan. She also has the chance to become Singapore’s second Paralympic champion after Yip, who won two golds at these Games.
Yurnita, Tan’s coach since 2016, expressed her pride, saying, “I’m so proud of her. Despite the pressure, she was brave throughout. We are ready for the final, where she’ll need to stay focused and maintain a strong mind.”
Meanwhile, at his third Paralympics, compatriot Diroy Noordin finished last in the men’s shot put F40 final with a best throw of 8.68m. Portugal’s Miguel Monteiro won the gold with a Paralympic record of 11.21m, while Mongolia’s Battulga Tsegmid and Iraq’s Garrah Tnaiash took silver and bronze, respectively.