Toyota’s SEA athletes on overcoming injuries, competition anxiety & self-doubt to pursue their sporting goals

Three Southeast Asian athletes push through injuries, competition anxiety, and self-doubt in pursuit of their goals

While most competitive sporting journeys begin with dreams of medals and glory, or simply an all-consuming love for the sport, Singaporean Paralympic swimmer Toh Wei Soong’s started somewhere a lot more practical: at physiotherapy.

Swimming was introduced into his life as rehabilitation, long before he could have pictured himself standing on a starting block at the Paralympics, Commonwealth Games, or Asian Para Games.

But what began as therapy would eventually become a source of confidence, belonging, and, ultimately, a career representing his country on the world stage.

Fellow Global Team Toyota Athletes Lê Văn Công and Kunlavut “View” Vitidsarn had equally unlikely beginnings, with Lê discovering para powerlifting on television, and View falling for badminton through the simple childhood thrill of seeing how far he could hit a shuttlecock.

Never letting their conditions define them

At just two years old, Toh, now 28, was diagnosed with transverse myelitis, an inflammation of the spinal cord that affected his lower nervous system and mobility.

As he grew older, he became aware that he experienced the world a little differently from other children. Still, he found his own way of fitting in.

“I never suffered socially,” he told MS News. “On the contrary, I recall being somewhat popular in my classes because of my ability to come up with fun games and group activities during recess.”

For Lê, becoming aware of his physical differences came with a tougher social experience.

The 42-year-old Vietnamese powerlifter, who has had atrophy in his legs since childhood, said stares and teasing at school left him feeling self-conscious and withdrawn, and he sometimes avoided crowded places altogether.

Over time, however, he became determined to carve out an independent life for himself. “I wanted to learn a skill so I could support myself, not become a burden to my parents, and be able to fit in with the people around me without being looked down on.”

Toh, too, learnt early to focus on what he could do rather than what set him apart, an outlook he credits partly to his parents, who encouraged him to approach things with curiosity and find his own way forward.

“Looking back, I realise how fortunate I am to have parents who supported me while also giving me the confidence to find my own way,” he said.

Sport becomes more than just a hobby or rehabilitation

Toh’s relationship with swimming began to shift from physiotherapy into a possible career when his secondary school PE teacher told him about the National Para Swimming Championships, organised by the Singapore Disability Sports Council.

He was 13 when he competed, and the experience gave him a sense of pride and belonging at a time when he was still finding his place.

“I remember the thrill of representing my secondary school,” he said. “It meant a lot to a kid who was trying to fit in and trying to find himself. It gave me a huge boost of confidence.”

A year later, in 2013, Toh travelled to Berlin for his first international competition, where he realised he “really enjoyed swimming” and “was good at it”.

I wanted to see how far I could go, and the rest is history.

Lê’s sporting journey took shape after he discovered para powerlifting in 2003 while watching the SEA Games and ASEAN Para Games on television from his hometown of Hà Tĩnh.

“I thought that if I had the chance, I could also do it and train in the sport,” he said.

That chance came three years later, after he moved to Ho Chi Minh City for vocational school and a teacher introduced him to a sports club for people with disabilities in Tân Bình District.

The start was tough. “After each session, my muscles were sore and tired, and sometimes I had a lot of pain the next day,” Lê recalled.

Still, he stuck with it, and just two months later, he made the Ho Chi Minh City team, followed by the national team a little over a year later.

View’s path was more straightforward, but no less formative. The 25-year-old Thai badminton player was drawn to the sport from a young age, and later entered a beginners’ competition where he finished third, taking home a medal, certificate, and prize money.

“That was when I realised that this sport could definitely become my profession,” he said.

The path forward wasn’t always straightforward

Of course, finding confidence and purpose in sport did not make the harder moments disappear.

For Toh, one came after taking a break following the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. Returning to top-level competition meant facing competition anxiety all over again, and even after more than a decade in the sport, those nerves have not simply vanished.

“I’ve learnt that the more you try to suppress those thoughts, the more they stay with you,” he said. Rather than fight them, Toh now redirects that energy and reminds himself that simply having the opportunity to compete is a privilege.

View’s struggles were different, but perhaps familiar to anyone who has ever doubted themselves.

After finishing runner-up at the 2022 BWF World Championships, he admitted he still felt he “wasn’t good enough”. Injuries and illness later disrupted his momentum, even after he claimed the world title the following year, and he has since been working his way back from another injury, ahead of the Asian Games.

For View, the challenge isn’t one defining setback, but staying sharp in a sport where small weaknesses can quickly make the difference between winning and falling short. “If you lack even one area, it can lead to a defeat,” he told MS News.

Lê, meanwhile, faced a far more physical setback. At the end of 2009, while preparing for the Asian Games in Guangzhou, he broke his right shoulder during training, leading him to wonder if his career was over.

Unable to afford frequent hospital visits, he rehabilitated largely at home with a soft ball and elastic bands, following his doctor’s instructions.

His wife, coaches, and teammates kept checking in, but one visit has stayed with him the most: a former computer teacher, who also had a physical disability, travelled more than 30km to see him with a box of instant noodles and a pack of milk.

“At that moment, I could not hold back my tears,” Lê recalled. “It was more than just the relationship between a teacher and a student. It was a beautiful and meaningful act of kindness.”

More than two years later, Lê returned to training, and three years after the injury, he competed at the Asian Championships, where he won gold and broke the Asian record.

I had never imagined that I could overcome the injury and achieve something like that. In fact, I even performed better than I had before the injury.

There’s plenty more to them than sport

Although training and competition take up a large part of their lives, Toh, Lê, and View still make plenty of room for the things they enjoy beyond sport.

Away from the pool, Toh’s interests span music, painting, filmmaking, writing, and design. His ideal day off is a far cry from the explosive starts and torpedo-like pace of competitive swimming, filled instead with good food and conversation, discovering something new, and time to write, paint, or lose himself in music and art.

His interest in design has also grown into an ambition to start his own clothing brand. Through Toyota Asia’s Dual Hero Project, he has explored how versatile pieces can balance function and style while being more accessible and thoughtfully designed for different needs.

“One thing I have always valued is being able to give back beyond competition and use my experiences to create a positive impact in other areas,” he said. “This allowed me to bring together my interest in design with something that could make a practical difference in people’s everyday lives.”

Lê, meanwhile, has a passion for electronics. When he’s not at the powerlifting bench, he swaps barbells for a soldering iron and screwdriver as part of what he calls his “side job” alongside sport: “I enjoy repairing, designing and installing circuit boards and electronic components.”

View’s hobbies are decidedly more low-key. He spends his downtime watching films, playing football, collecting trading cards, and gaming, although the latter doesn’t always provide the relaxing escape it promises.

“Many people say playing games relieves stress, but sometimes, playing games makes me stressed out instead!” he joked.

Support matters just as much as training

Those interests may give the athletes a chance to switch off, but all three are quick to acknowledge that getting this far has never been a solo effort, especially with Aichi-Nagoya 2026 on the horizon.

Toh has drawn support from family, coaches, role models, and long-term partners, including Toyota, having been part of the Global Team Toyota Athletes programme since 2018.

Knowing that someone continues to believe in you throughout your journey gives you confidence, especially during the quieter moments between competitions.

Lê similarly credits his wife, longtime coach, teammates, and Toyota for standing by him through his toughest stretches. Supported by the brand for more than three years, he said the partnership has given him added confidence and motivation, while opening up opportunities to connect with younger generations.

That encouragement matters even more now as he trains for the 2026 Asian Para Games while receiving treatment for a current injury.

“However, I still believe in myself,” he said. “I hope I can make good progress, get back to my best form, and regain my confidence on the competition floor.”

For View, that steady presence has always been his family, who pushed him to keep improving after wins and encouraged him to keep trying after losses, with support from partners such as Toyota giving him an added push as his career progressed.

And if there’s one thing all three would like from everyone else, it’s simply to keep showing up.

“Every message of encouragement reminds us that people are following our journey, not just our results,” Toh said, adding that attending events, watching online, sharing stories, or even encouraging someone to try a sport can all make a difference.

View hopes that same support extends to athletes across all sports, while Lê put it simply: “I hope everyone will continue to stand by us, support us, and cheer for us. That is the greatest source of motivation for us as para athletes.”

Toyota supports movement beyond the sporting arena

The journeys of Toh, Lê, and View reflect Toyota’s wider “Mobility for All” vision: the belief that when people are given the opportunity and support to move forward, more possibilities can open up.

Through its Global Team Toyota Athletes programme, Toyota supports athletes not only in competition, but also as they pursue interests, causes, and communities that matter to them beyond sport. Initiatives such as the Dual Hero Project have, for instance, given athletes like Toh the space to turn personal passions into ideas that can make everyday life more inclusive.

With the Asian Games and Asian Para Games 2026 in Nagoya drawing closer, Toyota is continuing to back its athletes on the road to the Games, while encouraging more people to follow their journeys, learn more about para sport, and show their support along the way.

Whether that means tuning in, sharing their stories, attending an event, or simply sending a word of encouragement, every bit of support counts.

To learn more about Toyota Motor Asia and their work, visit their website and follow them on LinkedIn.

Also read: S’porean Paralympian Toh Wei Soong on racing nerves & how Toyota’s support makes a difference

This post was brought to you in collaboration with Toyota Motor Asia.

Featured image courtesy of Toyota Motor Asia.