A Triumphant Finish to 2023: BC4 Boccia Athletes Alison Levine and Iulian Ciobanu Capture Gold and Secure Paris Qualification while Silver for BC1 and BC2 Team
Levine and Ciobanu seal Paris 2024 spot in a thrilling gold-medal tiebreaker to wrap up a phenomenal season and officially move to number one in world position
Ottawa, ON (November 26, 2023) – The Canadian Boccia Team secured two medals today, gold and silver at the 2023 Parapan American Games in Santiago, Chile, showcasing exceptional skill and teamwork. The BC4 Pair of Alison Levine (Montréal, QC) and Iulian Ciobanu (Montréal, QC) captured a gold medal, and now automatically qualify for the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games next summer, an objective going into this competition. Team BC1 and BC2 athletes, Danik Allard (Bois-des-Filions, QC), Kristyn Collins (St. John’s, NL), and Lance Cryderman (Sudbury, ON) earned a silver medal. Boccia Canada leaves Chile with a total of six medals at a highly successful Parapan American Games – two gold, three silver, and one bronze.
In a standout performance, the BC4 athletes demonstrated precision and strategy, earning their spot in the finals, with a 4-3 semi-final win over Mexico. Waiting in the finals was perennial opponent Columbia, the number one pair in the world. The match featured an array of quality shots and back and forth, with very few openings. Just what you would expect when world number one and two meet for gold. Leading 3-2 heading to the final end, Columbia scored one to take the match to a tiebreak. Down to their last ball, Levine took a calculated risk and played a displacement shot brilliantly. With Canada sitting one ahead, and Brazil down to their last ball, they couldn’t get theirs closer. It came down to a matter of millimetres, and the measurement went in Levine & Ciobanu’s favour, a 4-3 final to secure the gold. A fitting end to the year for the Canadian Pair that began winning gold in pairs at the Montréal World Cup and now ends the same way, beating the number one BC4 Pair in the world, Colombia. The result means that Canada enter 2024 as number one BC4 duo in the World Boccia rankings.
“Being on the podium is amazing, whether it’s a gold or not. We take a medal back for Canada.” said Ciobanu. Levine added, “Singing the national anthem at the medal ceremonies is always cool too and now I get to do it with Iulian by my side,”
Levine also took gold in individual play earlier in the week, while Ciobanu took bronze.
Meanwhile, the BC1 and BC2 Team displayed impressive collaboration, securing their place in the finals with wins over Ecuador, Brazil, and Chile. The finals featured a rematch versus Brazil who Canada had beaten just 24 hours earlier by a resounding score of 11-2. With qualification for the Paris 2024 Paralympics to the winner on the line, the trio of Cryderman, Collins and Allard, got behind early and could just never recover, succumbing by an 8-2 score.
Despite the result, they have shown amazing progress in 2023, having secured, now, two medals at competitions throughout the year. They will have one more shot to qualify for Paris, next March in Portugal.
Both Allard and Cryderman earned silver medals in individual play earlier this week.
The Canadian Boccia delegation’s success in reaching the finals reflects their dedication to the sport. As they BC4 Pair gear up for the 2024 Paris Paralympics, the athletes will always carry the support of a nation, regardless of the outcome.
As Levine puts it, “Canada. What more can I say… when it comes to the games, we’re so well supported. It’s been so much fun.”
The BC3 Pair won their final match against Guatemala 6-2 but were unable to move past their pool after two tightly contested losses against opposing high ranked BC3 Pairs. Joëlle Guérette (Ste.-Sophie, QC) with performance partner Jonathan Manseau and Ryan Rondeau (Edmonton, AB) with new performance partner Samantha Leger, are a new combination in BC3 Pair for Canada and continue to show progress at the international level.
See all results from the 2023 Parapan American Games here.
Rewatch the Parapan Am games on webcast here.
About Boccia Canada
Boccia Canada is the boccia delivery arm of the Canadian Cerebral Palsy Sports Association (CCPSA), the National Sport Organization for the Paralympic sport of boccia. Boccia Canada is focused on providing athletes and individuals of all ages and skill with the chance to play a unique Paralympic sport. We lead, develop and grow boccia from grassroots to producing World Champions, and we collaborate with partners to increase participation of Canadians with physical disabilities in sport.
About boccia
Boccia is a Paralympic sport of precision and strategy similar to lawn bowling or curling, played by athletes with Cerebral Palsy, Muscular Dystrophy and related disabilities. It is one of only two Paralympic sports that do not have an Olympic counterpart. Athletes compete in one of six sport classes based on their level and type of disability: BC1, BC2, BC3 BC4, BC5, and Open.
Media Contact
Holly Janna
Communications Lead and National Team Coordinator, Boccia Canada
Email: [email protected]
Phone Number: 613-748-1430 x3 | Cell: 514-944-5193