SEA Games 2025: Ju-jitsu’s Jedd Tan strikes gold on debut

Ju-jitsu exponent Jedd Tan (right) in action during the men's fighting under-77kg final on Dec 10, en route to winning the sport's first gold at the 33rd SEA Games. Photo: SportSG/ Kasem Theerapong

Ju-jitsu exponent Jedd Tan ended Day 1 of competition in Thailand triumphant, crowned a SEA Games champion for the first time in his career. 

But the 18-year-old – one of the youngest on the ju-jitsu squad – had started it mere seconds away from an early elimination in his opening bout of the men’s fighting under-77kg event. 

Down two points in the final stages of the fight against Vietnam’s Van Suu, Tan was staring at defeat in the face before a full ippon earned him passage to the next round. 

From there, Tan took down successive opponents, first Polput Kampanart of Thailand in the quarter-finals, then Perfecto Artz Brilliant of Indonesia in the semi-finals to guarantee himself a spot in the final. 

Still, to earn the biggest prize of all, he needed to get past another home favourite, Thailand’s Aunjai Chanwit. Tan won that bout 16-9. 

It is a notable result, given that Tan had suffered a narrow defeat to the same opponent earlier this year at the Asian Championships. 

He said: “I felt pretty prepared in the final, compared to the first three rounds. First few rounds, I felt the jitters, my legs felt like jelly, I was cramping a lot. The adrenaline was going crazy. 

“But the last round, I had enough rest, the physios helped, the support from the stands, and thinking about my family."

Jedd Tan, 18, is one of the youngest athletes on Singapore's ju-jitsu squad at the 33rd SEA Games. Photo: SportSG/ Kasem Theerapong

“The final was just a good experience. Everything went well. I was slightly anxious about the penalties, but overall I felt I managed to control and manipulate the situation to my favour. I could see my opponent panicking, and I just capitalised.” 

Despite striking gold on his first SEA Games attempt, Tan is mindful not to let success get to his head. In fact, he maintains he would not be standing on top of the podium if not for the support that rallied around him all day at the Ronnaphakat Building Navaminda Kasatriyahiraj Air Force Academy. 

“The energy was crazy,” he said.” Even though there weren’t many (Singapore) supporters, I could hear the rumble. It felt immense. I didn’t show the hype, but in my head, my heart, the support really spurred me on. I could feel the fire in my chest, my head. I can’t be grateful enough. It shows how selfless my teammates are.

“It’s good to have a medal, but I’m not really focused on that. I feel it’s very important to be grounded and not get ahead of yourself. We can fail and disappoint ourselves at any time.

“Just grateful for everyone around me. I don’t feel I deserved even getting past the first round. Everyone around me brought me through it.” 

The 33rd SEA Games are held in Thailand from 9 to 20 December 2025. 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.