Schedule and Results
(Ottawa, August 27th 2006) Canada won gold and bronze medals in the final day of competition at the Austrian Boccia Open held in Vienna. The athletes will return to Canada on Monday
In the BC3 Category, Paul Gauthier, Alison Kabush and Monica Martino of Vancouver, British Columbia won gold with a 6-5 hard fought victory against Hungary. The game was decided in the last end. “The final match was fantastic for us as we came back in the last end from a 5-0 deficit. We scored 6 points to win the game 6-5”, said Martino. On a personal note she added: “I am very happy about my game. It was a challenge to be here and this experience will make us a better team". Earlier today, the Canadian team won 9-0 against Croatia in the semi-finals. One of the two teams from the Czech Republic won the Bronze medal.
In the BC2 / BC1 category, Tammy McLeod, Adam Dukovich and David Van Hoek, of London, Ontario, as well as Nathan Moss of Victoria, British Columbia, won the bronze medal with a convincing 7-2 win against the second team from Holland. Moss, a National Team rookie, really enjoyed his first international experience. “It was very rewarding, I have learned what I have to improve and it was a wonderful experience. It's a nice stepping stone for what we expect to achieve during the World Championships in Brazil, in October”. Earlier today Austria beat Canada 13-1 in the semi-finals. The first team from Holland won gold and Austria had to settle for silver.
National Coach, Mario Delisle said it was a good experience for the Canadian Team: “I was hoping to make the finals with both teams and as far as the BC1/BC2 team goes I think that we need to be more consistent to pull off a top 10 finish in Brazil. I am very satisfied with the BC3 pair – we had a plan, followed it, and had a chance to work on some weaker aspects of our game”.
Boccia is a paralympic sport open to athletes with cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, stroke or similar non-progressive conditions. All competitors compete in wheelchairs and some are permitted to use assistive devices (usually a ramp or chute to aid in throwing the ball). Only athletes with a severe disability are eligible to compete in boccia.
The Canadian Cerebral Palsy Sports Association (CCPSA) is an athlete focused national organization administering and governing sport opportunities targeted to athletes with CP and related disabilities. CCPSA and its provincial partners cooperate as a proactive force to facilitate the development of equitable and fair sporting opportunities for our athletes.
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For more information
Dominique Tremblay
CCPSA
(613) 748-1430
(819) 360-6333
Dominique@ccpsa.ca
