Asian Para Games 2026: Boccia Celebrates Red-Letter Day with Medal Rush in Individual Events

Jovin became the first Singaporean to win medals in two different sports at the Asian Para Games. Photo: SNPC/Goh Si Wei

Before Wednesday (Oct 21), Singapore’s talented boccia contingent had only brought home one Asian Para Games medal when the trio of Nurulasyiqah Mohamad Taha, Toh Sze Ning and Faye Lim won mixed pairs BC3 silver in 2018.

But Aichi-Nagoya proved to be a happy hunting ground for the athletes.

At the Nagoya General Gymnasium Rainbow Hall, the trio of Jeralyn Tan, Jovin Tan and Aloysius Gan brought home the Republic’s first individual medals at the Games.

Paralympic silver medallist Jeralyn Tan was the first to do so, recovering from an 8-0 loss to Malaysia’s Angeline Melissa in the morning’s semi-finals to beat Iran’s Neda Ghayebi 6-1 to clinch bronze in the women’s individual BC1.

Off the back of a historic bronze at September’s Seoul 2026 World Boccia Championship, the first since Nurulasyiqah’s 2010 bronze, Jeralyn showed remarkable steel to regroup for the medal match against the world No.36, who had beaten her 8-1 in the pool stage.

Her coach Yurnita Omar said of the achievement: “It feels great. It feels so wonderful. We turned the table around. We met Iran in the pool stage, and we lost by a big margin. But we managed to reset and then come back stronger. That was great.

Jeralyn won her first Games medal with a bronze. Photo: SNPC/ Goh Si Wei

“We received a lot of support from the community. There were messages and people coming here and telling us that we can do it. So the community really helped.”

“It was very challenging because we just lost the match and we had to quickly reset in less than five hours. It was very challenging, but we had help from our psychologist.”

Things got better for the team as Jovin clinched men’s individual BC1 silver, 12 years after the former sailor won his first Games gold in the Hansa 303 double-handed event with Yap Qian Yin, giving him the unique honour of being the first Singaporean to medal in two different sports at the Games.

Sporting bright red hair and neon pink-framed spectacles, the 40-year-old was in red-hot form heading into the finals, winning four successive matches, including a 6-2 scalp of Hong Kong’s reigning Paralympic champion John Loung to set up a repeat final against recently-crowned world championship bronze medallist Witsanu Huapradit.

Having been triumphant against the Thai in Korat in January en route to ASEAN Para Games gold, he had to settle for silver this time after a 4-1 defeat to the world No.12.

“Initially, I did not set any expectations for myself, but just to enjoy the process… I took it one day at a time, match by match… But definitely as an athlete, everybody wants to win a medal.”

Having met Witsanu in the pool stage of the world championships as well, Jovin shared that “everyone roughly knows each other's strengths and weaknesses”, but it has only motivated him to continue to work harder.

And with a new piece of silverware to add to a growing collection, his meteoric rise in the sport he started in 2022 is undeniable.

“With my para sailing experience and competitive knowledge, I was able to transition into a new sport in a shorter time. I set myself a target that if others take 10 years, I want to cut down the process to five and achieve what I want to do,” said Jovin, who won his first major boccia title at the Canberra World Boccia Challenger just last November.

Having gotten a new boccia-inspired tattoo on his right forearm with the words “strategy”, “resilience” and “precision” after winning silver at June’s Astana World Boccia Cup, Tan said: “ I've set my pace well enough, and I've trained what I need to. But there's still always room for improvement, and there will be a lot of small hills before we reach the highest mountain.”

Gan overcame a nervy semi-final to clinch silver. Photo: SNPC/ Goh Si Wei

Aloysius Gan ended the day with a silver in the men’s BC3 on his second appearance at the Games.

The 20-year-old survived an almighty scare in his semi-final clash against world No.2 Jeong Howon of South Korea as his four-point lead evaporated in the fourth and final end. He won the tiebreaker to progress to the gold medal match, improving on his fourth-place finish from Hangzhou.

"At the previous Asian Games, we reached the semifinals but fell short of a medal. To see him return stronger and finally stand on the podium with a silver medal is an incredibly proud and meaningful moment for us," said Aloysius' father and coach Kagan Gan.

"This medal represents how far he has come, the hard work he has put in and the progress he has made over the years."

Against Thailand’s Withun Chanthakhat in the decider, he almost mounted a comeback but fell short to lose 4-3.

Gan will return to the court with Nurulasyiqah for the mixed pair BC3 event on Thursday (Oct 22). The recently-minted world champions will hope to add to the team’s impressive medal haul.

"Every match in the individual event has given us valuable insights into our opponents, their playing styles and the court conditions," Kagan added.

"These are lessons we can take forward into the mixed pairs event. With the experience and momentum gained from this silver medal, we are in a stronger position to adapt our strategies and approach the next event with greater confidence."

The 5th Asian Para Games are held in Japan from 18 to 24 October 2026. For the latest Team Singapore coverage and news, follow Team Singapore on their social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok) or visit the official Team Singapore website.