Brian Peh, winner of the mixed masters category at the inaugural Singapore Open Virtual Taekwondo Championships, during his match. SINGAPORE – It has been 20 years since a slipped disc ended Brian Peh’s competitive career as a national taekwondo exponent. But the 44-year-old’s recent foray into virtual taekwondo has given him confidence to take the next steps to return to physical sparring.
On June 9, Peh prevailed in the masters mixed category of the inaugural Singapore Open Virtual Taekwondo Championships, with his son Justin’s victory in the individual male category handing him an early Father’s Day present. In virtual taekwondo, players wear virtual reality headsets and motion-tracking nodes in their hands and on their shins. Sparring is done in a non-contact fashion, with the exponents’ kicks mirrored by virtual avatars.
There are no weight classes, unlike the physical version. “We told each other to come here and have fun, we didn’t think much about getting first place,” said the elder Peh, who emerged ahead of three others to win his category. He has already set his sights on two international competitions.
First, the International Taekwondo Masters Open Championship at Our Tampines Hub in July. He will be taking part in virtual taekwondo and poomsae, where an exponent performs a sequence of defence and attack moves. Next, the 2025 World Masters Games in Taipei, where he hopes to return to kyorugi or physical sparring.
Father and son duo, Brian Peh (l.
