Dickson Soh: Between a Medal Dream and a Flight of Stairs
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
From Side Quest to Team Singapore
For Dickson, fencing began as a co-curricular activity at university. He was 23 years old at the time, an age when many competitive fencers have already spent years in the sport.
At first, it was simply something he did once a week. But that soon changed.
"When I started losing to kids half my age, I really couldn't sleep well at night," he says with a laugh.
The losses nudged him to take the sport seriously. Soon, this casual activity became evenings at the fencing club, weekends spent training, and a determination to see how far he could go.
Over the next seven years, Dickson poured his heart and soul into the sport. Training meant sacrificing evenings, weekends and much of his personal time, while overseas competitions were fully funded out of his own pocket.
Even the pandemic could not slow him down. With competitions suspended and training moved online, Dickson spent months "air fencing" at home, hanging his fencing mask from the window grille and attacking it every day. Then, finally, seven years after first picking up a sabre, Dickson earned his place on Team Singapore in June 2026.
A Short-Lived Debut
Dickson's first outing for Team Singapore came at the Asian Senior Fencing Championships in New Delhi, where he competed in both the individual and team events.
But it ended almost as quickly as it began.
During the competition, he suffered a Grade 2B adductor tear. The injury was not uncommon, but it brought his season to an abrupt end, forcing him to step away from the sport just as he had reached one of its biggest milestones.
But it wasn't missing competitions that surprised him most. It was how quickly the injury changed how he navigated everyday life.
Simple movements that had once felt effortless suddenly became painful. Walking required caution. Getting in and out of a car became daunting. Even putting on a pair of socks became unexpectedly difficult.
"I had to climb stairs one leg at a time," he recalls. "People would look at me, and it made me realise how quickly your experience of everyday life can change."
Training was replaced by physiotherapy appointments, rehabilitation exercises and modified gym sessions. There were moments when it felt like he was ready to fence again, only for the injury to worsen and send him back to square one. Recovery became less about returning quickly, and more about learning patience.
"It was frustrating because I had spent months, only to have my season disrupted by something beyond my control," he says.
Yet it was during those weeks away from the piste that the injury gave him a perspective that fencing never did.
A Newfound Perspective
As Dickson adjusted to life beyond training and competition, his world became a little quieter. Away from the demands of fencing, he started noticing the everyday experiences of others in ways he never had before.
"My injury made me see how much I'd taken the ability to move freely for granted," he says. "Just as I suddenly found myself figuring out how to get up a simple flight of stairs, I realised there are many others with disabilities who struggle with the same things, every day. Most of us just aren’t aware of this. I know I wasn’t…”
Today, Dickson sees his injury as a turning point — one that led him to look a little more closely at the everyday things around him. A flight of stairs. A crowded train. Someone moving a little slower than everyone else. He sees now that behind each of these lies a different life story, from one person to the next.
ONE Stories is an editorial storytelling series that explores the lived experiences, perspectives and conversations that often go unnoticed, unseen and unheard.
Through every story, we hope to encourage a little more understanding and consideration for the many stories around us, and a greater appreciation for the many different ways people experience everyday life.