Canada’s BC4s Win Silver With the Culmination of the 2024 Montreal World Boccia Cup
Canada’s BC4s and Head Coach, César Nicolai, celebrate their win to advance to the final
Ottawa, ON (May 5, 2024) – BC4 Pair, Alison Levine (Montréal, QC) and Iulian Ciobanu (Montréal, QC), won a silver medal at home today, in Montréal at the Maurice Richard Arena. The Pair played world number three in the world, Hong Kong, in the finals.
The current world number one Pair, and defending 2023 Montreal World Cup Champions, Ciobanu and Levine, cruised into the semifinals and later finals finishing first in their pool undefeated with convincing wins over United States, Portugal, and Japan.
In the Semifinals, the Canadians blew the match wide open in the third end, scoring four with the jack hanging precariously close to the out of bounds. It was the turning point in the game for Canada to move onto the finals. They won 7-1 as South Korea was unable to recover.
In the finals Canada played Hong Kong. In the second end, with a couple of Hong Kong’s balls protecting the jack, Canada were unable to move them, allowing Hong Kong to score two and increase their lead to 3-0.
In the third end, on their second to last ball, Hong Kong split the two Canadian balls closest to the jack, to score one point, and added another point in the fourth. After a long six days of both individual and pairs competition, the Canadians uncharacteristically were off in the finals, a 5-0 loss, but still claiming silver.
“In the finals, it came down to the small details,” said Ciobanu. “It was always close and there was a lot of measuring for each point, however, it was anyone’s game. We could have won just like they did. They are all little details which we can always work on to be ready for Paris.”
The Pair will compete in Portugal this July prior to heading to the Paralympics.
The BC1/2 Team of Lance Cryderman (Val Caron, ON), Kristyn Collins (St. John’s, NL) and Danik Allard (Bois-des-Filion, QC) secured their spot in semis with close wins over Japan and France. Their opening match against Japan ended in dramatic fashion with Collins and Cryderman both making remarkable lengthy shots on their last balls in the last end to steal the win.
In the Bronze medal match the Canadians faced Portugal. Cryderman came through in the second end with a long ball closest to the deep jack, scoring one for Canada and tying the match at one all. With Portugal up 3-1 after four ends, they scored three in the fifth to effectively put the match out of reach. Portugal picked up another point in the last end, for a final score of 7-1.
It was a strong showing for the BC1/2 Team finishing fourth at the World Cup. They are currently ranked eleventh in the world and next-up is the Sao Paulo, Brazil World Cup in May.
The Canadian BC3 Pair of Marylou Martineau (Québec City, QC) and Alexandre Lemaire (Kingsey Falls, QC), teamed up for the first time at a World Cup. One of the youngest pair at the event, their goal heading into the tournament was to gain experience and regard as a learning opportunity at the highest level.
They started the tournament with a tough draw, facing world number one Australia. With a couple matches under their belt, by their final pool play match against Great Britain, the pair found their groove, losing 3-2 in a closely contested game.
Rewatch the webcast on CBC Sports here. Find the official results and schedule 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