2025 Asean Para Games: Switch from goalball to judo new challenge for Joan Hung

SINGAPORE – Some athletes love the thrill of chasing best times in their race against the clock, but Singaporean para athlete Joan Hung prefers going up against an opponent instead.

The 29-year-old judoka, who was born with aniridia – a condition where the iris is partially or completely missing, causing poor vision – picked up goalball in 2015, when Singapore hosted the Asean Para Games (APG).

The team sport is designed for visually impaired athletes, who compete in groups of three to try and throw a ball with bells embedded in it into the opponents’ goal.

In the 2022 edition held in Indonesia, Hung claimed a silver medal with the team, before the dwindling number of players forced them to disband. Believing she still had a “competitive runway”, she made the switch to para judo.

The Games veteran will make her debut in her new sport at the Jan 20-26 APG in Korat, Thailand, where she will lead Singapore’s 37-strong contingent as its flag bearer.

“Part of the reason why I stepped away was also because our team decided to call it a day, because some of my teammates had injuries and some wanted to move on with life,” said Hung, who coaches goalball at Lighthouse School, an educational institution that caters to visually and hearing-impaired students.

“I first tried judo in 2018 because during our off-peak season, usually our coach will get us to try different random sports. So it was already part of my radar and when we decided to call it a day, my coach was saying that I still had some competitive runway left.

“I like games with the variability of an opponent, because the very popular sports here for the visually impaired are swimming, running and cycling. Yes, you have opponents, but you are generally racing against the clock and that is boring.”

When asked about the similarities between goalball and judo, Hung said that power is essential for both sports.

She added: “I think what’s similar is that they do require power, but a different sort of power… Goalball is more sustained, anaerobic, but for judo, it can literally end in three seconds if you’re not paying attention.”

Coach Gerard Lim, who has worked with her for just over a year, noted Hung’s drive and determination have helped the judoka improve her craft.

“She’s trained occasionally previously and she’s quite driven, so I don’t think there’s any real problem with her coming in,” said the 63-year-old, who is also the high performance director at the Wrestling Federation of Singapore

“We need to be more fluid, but fluidity requires a lot of practice… It’s not something you gain in the space of one year, but she’s improved tremendously.

“Unlike sighted people, I think visually impaired people are generally more cautious, because you don’t want to fall and get hurt, so she’s carrying a lot of cautiousness with her to the mats.

“I’m not saying be dangerous, but when you are too cautious, you hinder fluidity. But for her, she’s a willing learner and that makes life really easy.”

Lim, who will be coaching at his first APG, is backing the athlete to win a medal at the Games.

He added: “The fact that she’s here and she’s decided to switch to an individual sport and she’s sticking to it, is a sure sign that she is motivated.

“I think so many of us are invested in her because of our desire to see her do better than a bronze medal, but it’s also uncharted waters for us. Where I think she would lose out would actually be fight experience… I’m quite confident she can win a medal.”

As she heads into her third APG, Hung hopes to be able to don her judo gi beyond the Thailand Games.

She said: “I do want to fight as long as I can, and I think my outlook is a little bit different.

“I do hope that I can perform, but I am a lot more aware of what my body can and cannot do. I am more wary of injuries, and I’m just going to compete until my body says no.”