Veterans Francois Bourbonniere, of Montreal, QC, Tammy McLeod of London, On and rookie Keven Smith-Worthylake, Ottawa, ON, will go home from Vienna with silver medals around their neck. On Sunday the Canadian BC1/BC2 Team lost one game and won the other one to take second place at the Austrian Boccia Open.
During their first game of the day, the Canadians could not keep up with the strong Czech Republic side and lost 9-1. The Czechs went on to win the competition. The Canadians came back strong in their second game, beating England 7-0. “We had a difficult game against the Czech Republic, but the athletes were able to rebound pretty well and win a great game against England”, National Team Head Coach, Mario Delisle.
Even with a more difficult morning, Bourbonniere really liked his experience. “We were able to come back strong and win an important game. With this competition I can evaluate my play and pinpoint what I need to work on to be able to give my best in 2011”.
After two days of competition, the Canadians finished with a record of four wins and one loss. “I really enjoyed my experience” said Smith-Worthylake, who was competing in his first international competition. “I will go back home with a lot of good ideas which I’ll be able to use in training and during competition in Canada.
Delisle was particularly pleased with the performance of his athletes. “The athletes gained a lot of experience and they showed a lot of character for a group that never played together before this tournament”, said the head coach.
