VANCOUVER – Canada’s two remaining entries in the team events at the 26-country boccia World Cup were eliminated on Saturday in the quarterfinals but reached their main objective by qualifying for next summer’s Paralympic Games in Beijing.
Boccia is a sport similar to lawn bowls and played by athletes with cerebral palsy. This year’s World Cup is also a qualifying tournament for the 2008 Paralympic Games.
In the BC 3 category, Paul Gauthier and Monica Martino, both of Vancouver, and Alison Kabush of Surrey, B.C., lost their quarterfinal match to Portugal 7-5 to place fifth overall. The Canadians trailed 6-0 after two rounds but came back in the third with five to make the fourth and final round an unexpected nail-biter.
‘’We never gave up‘’ said Gauthier, who won Canada’s sole medal at the 10-day competition with gold in last week’s individual event. ‘’We used our skills and training to make the game really close. We had a chance to win it. But we’re on our way to Beijing and we’re really excited about it.’’
In the BC 1 and 2 combined category, the Canadians lost 6-4 to Norway in the quarterfinal for sixth place overall. Canada was 11th in the world entering the competition.
The Canadian team members were Tammy McLeod of London, Ont., Adam Dukovich of Mississauga, Ont., Francine Desrochers of Montreal, Hanif Mawji of Burnaby, B.C., and Brock Richardson of Brampton, Ont.
‘’The performance was overall very positive and I’m proud of our team,’’ said Canadian national team coach Mario Delisle. ‘’The players were able to maintain their concentration in very tight games. It was a very emotional day and everyone is pretty worn out after 10 days of competition. Qualifying for the Paralympics makes those heartbreaking losses easier to take.’’
Gauthier, a Paralympic champion in 2004, said the tournament was a memorable experience for the Canadian players.
‘’A lot of of people saw and learned what a great game this is and what great athletes play this sport,’’ said Gauthier. ‘’We took a lot of pride in competing at home.’’
