Singaporean jiu-jitsu world champion Constance Lien fighting for mental health

Singaporean jiu-jitsu prodigy Constance Lien has become a national treasure ever since being crowned world champion at the World International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) Championships in 2019, but the former national swimmer’s transition into combat sports was no easy feat.

Born into a family of athletes – her mother was a national team swimmer and her sister is a current one – the 20-year-old purple belt recalled the mental and physical tolls experienced as a teen.

Aside from the habitual 5.30am drop-offs at the pool, cramming in homework during school lunches and constantly sacrificing her social life, Lien’s coaches would start attributing her below-par race performances to weight gain. Over time, the strict diets eventually became self-imposed cracker-and-skinny-tea set meals.

“I developed an eating disorder when I was 15 or 16,” said Lien, who also won gold at the Southeast Asian Games in the Philippines last year. “It came from the pressure of needing to perform and being told that the reason why I wasn’t performing in swimming was due to my weight.

“It gradually turned into an eating disorder because it ignited a lot of insecurities in me – from how I looked to how much I weighed – so it was a rather painful experience. But it made me stronger and if I didn’t go through that, I wouldn’t be able to understand what it’s like, and I wouldn’t be able to help others who are in similar positions.”

Lien would ultimately leave the sport ingrained in her since she was a toddler. She soon strolled through the doors of Evolve MMA, enrolling in a Muay Thai class with some friends before gravitating towards Brazilian jiu-jitsu – a craft she initially avoided so as to not “make a fool of myself”.

“One thing I did to overcome my eating disorder was to find something that I love and what I did was switch sports,” said Lien, who was voted The Straits Times’ athlete of the year this year – the first ever to be awarded to a combat sports athlete.

“I found jiu-jitsu and naturally my self-confidence level elevated a lot. Jiu-jitsu also taught me life lessons like patience and being OK with uncertainties, you know?

“It’s about finding what you love. I’m definitely a lot more secure – I still have my insecurities and as athletes we still have down moments, but I’m slowly learning how to have emotional maturity and I’m learning to love myself. That’s a huge difference to who I was in the past.”

Soon after graduating from the prestigious Singapore Sports School in 2015, Lien became the face of her country’s jiu-jitsu push. After just two years, she finished fourth in her category at the Abu Dhabi jiu-jitsu world championships, before winning silver at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta. It was Singapore’s only jiu-jitsu medal of the Games. Lien also became the country’s first international jiu-jitsu medallist and would go on to win a host of accolades, including the Singapore National Olympic Council’s “Sportsgirl of the Year”.

As significant as these may be for her homeland, Lien’s most cherished possession is her IBJJF world championships gold won in California in 2019. The then-blue belt was the youngest Singaporean female to do so and received her purple promotion immediately after the tournament. Lien cried tears of joy in her trademark celebratory pose of pointing to the sky whilst on her knees.

“Winning worlds was definitely surreal because it has always been a dream of mine,” said Lien, who wakes up every morning to a handwritten “You will be world champ!” note stuck on her wall.

“I’m really thankful because it was definitely not an easy journey – I’m just happy that my efforts paid off,” she added.

Lien’s remarkable success in such a short span did not completely convince her parents, however. Jiu-jitsu is – by definition – a combat sport welcoming chokeholds and joint-locks. Injuries are therefore not uncommon, especially when mismatched with higher- or lower-belt opponents.

“Swimming and jiu-jitsu are definitely two different worlds. I would say swimming is more quantitative; jiu-jitsu more qualitative. Jiu-jitsu is a contact sport and is obviously a lot rougher,” she said.

“You are bound to get injuries in martial arts and combat sports and up until now my mum and dad are still on their toes about the topic of injuries, especially when I get them. I guess it’s just accepting the nature of the sport because it’s bound to happen. As long as I take good care of my body and listen to myself, a lot of these injuries and risks can be prevented.”

Preserving that mental fortitude required in the intricate yet free-flowing sport of jiu-jitsu is also extremely important. Lien regularly posts motivational messages on her social media to reassert her own mindset and, hopefully, help others struggling to keep their head up.

“That to to me is so important because when I was growing up and going through what I went through, I always felt alone and never had that beacon of hope or light – or someone that I could look up to and tell me ‘hey, I went through this too and it’s going to be OK’,” Lien said. “Now I’m in a position where I’m able to do that. I want to be someone’s beacon of hope. I understand how it feels to be in a dark place, to be insecure, to not be sure of who you are.”

Looking ahead, Lien and masterful Evolve professor Teco Shinzato are prepared to rule the world. Shinzato has confidently stated that Lien has the potential to be a black-belt world champion – and his prized pupil is listening.

“I am thankful to have a coach that believes in my abilities and what I’m capable of. [Teco] is always there to encourage me, and more than anything, his comment is what drives me to keep going every day,” Lien said.

Off the mats, Lien is waiting on a university placement to study sports psychology. It is just another step in her mission to give back.

“One cause that I hold dear to my heart is mental and emotional health – not just for athletes but for the general public. I do hope I will be able to be in a position where I can do that, to be a sports counsellor or psychologist would be one my career goals.

“For jiu-jitsu, my long-term goal is to be a black belt world champion.”