Where physical skills meet digital mastery: how two Singapore teens ended up beating taekwondo Olympians

26 Jul 2023

Two taekwondo students trounced real-life Olympians to make it an all-Singaporean grand final for Virtual Taekwondo at the Olympic Esports Week last month. Schoolbag asks champion Nigel Tan from Temasek Secondary School, and runner-up Natalie Tor of Unity Secondary School, that critical question: How did they pull it off?

By Lim Jun Kang

Imagine this:

With a swift spinning kick executed to perfection, you connect with your opponent.

But there is no sensation, no impact nor any pain. The only indication you successfully struck your opponent is the diminishing “health bar” floating above his or her head.

This is Virtual Taekwondo, a competitive mixed-reality sport that allows exponents to spar virtually through full-body motion-tracking devices and sensors.

At the inaugural Olympic Esports Week held in Singapore recently, two Secondary Three students, Nigel Tan Wei Reng from Temasek Secondary School and Natalie Tor En Xing of Unity Secondary School, defeated real-life Olympic champions to make it an all-Singaporean Virtual Taekwondo final.

Nigel then beat Natalie to emerge as the inaugural champion at the tournament, which is backed by the International Olympic Committee.

It helps to be taekwondo exponents who like video games

The two 14-year-olds, who are teammates in the Singapore national taekwondo team, were facing off as opponents for the first time, as the tournament does not have separate categories for gender and weight classifications.

The whole experience – from signing up for the tournament a mere two months before, to appearing like video heroes in an arena in front of hundreds of cheering fans – was eye-opening, to say the least.

Natalie and Nigel had learnt about the sport and the competition through the National Team, and they were game to give it a shot.

One might assume the virtual version of the martial art may be easier to master than the traditional sport, as there is no physical contact involved.

But take it from the finalists – that is not the case.

Turning your body into a game controller

Each exponent has seven motion sensors strapped across the arms, legs, and head to track movements and strength.

The absence of physical impact meant the duo had to re-strategise and find new ways to counter their opponents.

“There’s no physical contact in the virtual format, and it forces you to think more. If you want to counter your opponent’s kick, we can’t meet it as we usually do – leg to leg with equal or more strength – because we will just ‘pass through [the avatar]’,” says Nigel, on one difference between the virtual and physical format.

Where physical skills meet digital mastery_how two Singapore teens ended up beating taekwondo Olympians3 Nigel executing a stretch kick in one of his bouts.

Natalie concurs, pointing out that it’s more difficult to gauge the distance between herself and the opponent in Virtual Taekwondo. She prefers the physical sport, as “we can gauge the distance, strength and speed much more easily, with experience”.

Thankfully, she enjoys video games such as first-person shooter Call of Duty. “It actually helps, because it’s the same principle as Virtual Taekwondo, in terms of how far my opponent is before I can get my shots, or in this case, my kicks in,” she laughs.

Not just leg work, but mental fortitude

To the duo, the virtual format required them to be even more meticulous in strategising against their opponents.

“If they are faster, you must move around more. If they use a one-time high impact kick, you must avoid as much as possible,” explains Natalie. “But it allows me to be more fearless, since we don’t feel the physical impact and the kicks from the opponent.”

Nigel adopts a trial-and-error approach, preferring to adjust his game plan as the bout progresses. Customising strategies and adapting on-the-fly became crucial in the tournament, as competitors had limited time to study opponents’ habits.

But what both Nigel and Natalie had, was the strong desire to reach the finals, held on the grand stage at the Suntec Convention and Exhibition Centre.

“I really wanted to win and spar on the big stage, and I really put in my all,” says Nigel, who overcame a three-time Olympian veteran in the semi-finals. Natalie also had the same goal, but her proudest moment came when she managed to overcome a four-time Olympian and two-time gold medallist in the semi-finals.

Where physical skills meet digital mastery_how two Singapore teens ended up beating taekwondo Olympians1 Natalie (right) congratulated by her opponent during the presentation ceremony.

“I was quite shocked that I won my semi-finals,” she says sheepishly. Natalie recalled how she tried to calm herself by imagining how she would play out the match with her rival in her head, and just “tried her best”.

Even though she fell short in the finals, Natalie looks back on her experience with renewed appreciation of the sport and courage. “I was quite happy that I could beat almost everyone in the virtual world, and I am definitely more confident to compete with opponents in the physical form of Taekwondo.”

Nigel and Natalie are looking forward to donning their dobuk (Taekwondo uniform), headsets and motion sensors to defend their titles when the next virtual Taekwondo tournament rolls around. For now, their victory and Olympic-sized sparring have not only fuelled their passion but also motivated them to train harder, in real life.

For Nigel, he is setting himself a goal to qualify for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

“I haven’t won a lot of my past competitions, but winning this tournament, and a significant one at that, means a lot,” he reflects. “I believe in myself much more now.”

taek3 Nigel and Natalie being interviewed after the Finals.