For the Love of Judo

Story by: Cynthia Marie Lawrence | Photos by: Matthew Durai

An injury he’d incurred from his passion for judo did not stop Matthew Durai from following his dreams and winning a slew of tournaments, including a national championship.

Secondary school is a monumental moment in life for many, Matthew Durai, 21, NUS student, included. With his athletic physique and quiet confidence, you would have never guessed that Matthew, an accomplished judoka, had already undergone two major surgeries before the age of 20.  

It’s the year 2014. Matthew had recently transferred schools from Saint Patrick’s School to Saint Joseph’s Institution (SJI). As fortune would have it, his table mate, the captain of SJI’s judo team, enticed him into joining judo.

Later that year, then white belt Matthew suffered a life-changing training injury. A few months later, an MRI scan showed that the training had completely ripped his shoulder ligament. In October 2015, just a week before his last ‘O’ Level paper, he underwent surgery. The slow recovery tested his patience and committing to intensive physiotherapy was a pain.

In 2016, he was back on the dojo, now as part of the Catholic Junior College (CJC) judo team and a member of the Singapore Judo Club (SJC).  This was despite the advice of his surgeon and parents. In spite of this, Matthew competed and won medals in various tournaments for both CJC and the SJC. 

Tragedy struck again and threatened the future of this promising judoka, when he tore his shoulder ligament yet again in 2018. 

During training at SJC, a slight miscalculation during a sparring match caused his shoulder to dislocate. Months later, an MRI scan showed the extent of the damage caused. His ligament was torn. Again. 

“In the end, the solution was surgery again. So now my left shoulder has a dissolvable screw, while my right has a permanent plastic one. Guess you could say I was screwed,” Matthew says with a chuckle. 

He laughs about it now, but back then it was anything but a joke. The smooth and hassle-free procedure impacted his life in National Service greatly. 

“I was training to be a sergeant for Singapore First Battalion Guards at that time,” he explained. “But my shoulder dislocation forced me to drop out of command school.”

Shortly after his Operationally Ready Date (ORD), he was cleared by his surgeon for strenuous physical activity. Instead of going back to the highly intensive grappling sport of judo, he tried a slightly less explosive and arguably less dangerous sport, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ).

Of late, he has yet to step into a dojo. Nonetheless, he’s still determined to continue with judo when he starts university. He’s still set on getting his black belt. And he still dreams about representing Singapore one day. 

So why put yourself through such hardship? Why risk the pain and suffering?

“The purpose of life becomes clear when you follow your dreams. Judo isn't just a sport, it’s a way of life.”