Never Alone at the Top: Jeralyn Tan Aims to Conquer Paris Pinnacle

Jeralyn Tan and coach Yurnita Omar (R) following their victory at the Montreal 2024 World Boccia Cup. (Photo credit: SDSC Instagram)

Jeralyn Tan is Singapore’s lone BC1 female athlete at Boccia, but she is never alone when competing at home and abroad.

Going into the Paralympic Games this year ranked No. 2 in the world and No. 1 in Asia in her class, Jeralyn, 35, won the Montreal World Boccia Cup in 2023, the Póvoa de Varzim 2023 World Boccia Cup with a 4-2 win over current world No. 1, Andreza Vitória De Oliveira from Brazil, then successfully defending her title at the 2024 edition of the Montreal World Boccia Cup.

At each step of this journey, Jeralyn has her coach and competition partner Yurnita Omar by her side. Having coached Jeralyn since 2016, Yurnita has helped her overcome multiple challenges over the years, such as defeating Japan’s world No. 11 Hiromi Endo, whom Tan had never beaten before, en route to this year’s World Cup victory in Montreal from 30 April to 6 May.

Speaking to The Straits Times, Yurnita revealed the extent of preparation they undertook: "The only time we rested was when we slept. Even during dinner or breakfast, there was always an iPad on the table with some analysis we were looking at. Every minute, every second. Except when she eats, of course.”

The thorough preparation paid off, as Tan beat Endo 9-4 in the pool stage, to qualify for the semi-finals as the top seed. Jeralyn then went on to defeat France’s Aurelie Aubert 4-1 to reach the final, after which she beat Endo once more with a score of 4-2 for her third title on the circuit.

In Jeralyn’s words: “I could feel my heart beating so fast. I really couldn’t imagine that I could beat her (Endo) again in the final.”

Jeralyn and Yurnita after the 4-2 win over Japan’s Hiromi Endo in the final of the Montreal 2024 World Boccia Cup. (Photo credit: SDSC Instagram)

Another difficulty Jeralyn had to surmount was the shortage of sparring partners in Singapore, of which she has only three, due to the small size of the local boccia community. To help with this, Yurnita designed a mental training regimen involving scenario-based visualisations.

In preparation for the Paris Paralympics, Jeralyn and Yurnita went to Incheon for a training camp where she got to exchange knowledge and play alongside the South Korean boccia team for almost two weeks in June.

Jeralyn at training in Incheon. (Photo credit: Singapore Disability Sports Council Facebook)

Speaking after their earlier victory in Póvoa de Varzim, Jeralyn and Yurnita also expressed their gratitude towards those who had supported them.

“The days get tougher each day but we took it one ball, one day at a time, and we’d like to thank everyone who has been supporting us.”

A Paralympian 16 years in the making

Since picking up boccia in 2008 as a student at Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore (CPAS) School, Jeralyn is now about to make her debut at the Paris Paralympic Games this year.

Over the years, Jeralyn represented Singapore at the 2015 and 2017 ASEAN Para Games, and enjoyed a breakthrough year in 2021 after continuing to train hard during the Covid-19 pandemic, where she secured a gold medal in the Asian-Oceania Regionals Championships held in Dubai. 

Having qualified for the Paralympics via her world ranking, Tan suffered a setback in her preparations as she did not make it out of the pool stage of the Póvoa de Varzim 2024 World Boccia Cup, held on 11-13 July this year, but is nevertheless all set to make her debut in Paris.  

Jeralyn in action at the Póvoa de Varzim 2024 World Boccia Cup. (Photo credit: Singapore Disability Sports Council Facebook)

In an interview with giving.sg, she revealed her plans for her maiden outing at the Paralympics:

“It is my first time at the Paralympics games, which is the pinnacle of all sporting events, so I am very excited to participate in not just the competition, but also immerse myself in the entire experience and enjoy the scenic views of Paris!”

And to others who look up to her, Jeralyn has this to add: 

“Don’t give up! Never say never before you try out something -

and to give it all your best when you do.”

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