Canadians Capture Three Medals in BC1/2 Individual and Team play at World Boccia event in Cali, Colombia
Ottawa, ON (October 9, 2024) – Kristyn Collins (St. John’s, NL) and Olivier Roy (Québec City, QC) took home a bronze medal to their name in individual play within the women’s division and men’s division, respectively of class BC2 at the 2024 Cali World Boccia Challenger. They were joined by Kyle Scott (Hamilton, ON) in the BC1 and BC2 Team play where they won their first silver medal as a trio.
This is Kristyn’s second individual BC2 bronze medal at an international competition, which included wins over Peru and the United States. Her two losses were against Brazil and El Salvador. The podium finish came down to point differential between a silver and bronze medal in the no-playoff, round robin BC2 individual event.
“Overall I feel my skills and throws were at a good level for the competition,” said Collins. “I have gone back to overhand for placement because I feel I have more control. I had good success with some key shots and I’ll continue to work on this to keep improving… I’m happy to be on the podium and bringing back a medal for Canada and I’m very pleased knowing that future success is always in reach.”
It’s also Roy’s second individual BC2 bronze medal at an international competition. The BC2 men’s division were able to include two pools and playoffs, including a bronze medal match, which Roy won 10-0 against Brazil’s Eduardo Dos Santos Vasconcelos. He had finished in his pool with two wins and one loss to move on to the semis.
Kyle lost all games in individual play, however, this being his first international competition, there was plenty of valuable experience gained. “It’s the first time playing with my teammates and it’s been a wonderful experience. Full of learning which has opened my mind to new strategies, possibilities, and potential. I would absolutely love to continue to have this amazing feeling and experience this feeling again. I dreamt about this opportunity and, today, it’s my reality.”
The dynamic throughout the competition between Collins, Roy, and Scott was very encouraging and positive, with representation from three different provinces in the Team mix. “These three athletes have great communication and chemistry on field and it’s no surprise,” said César Nicolaï, Head Coach, Boccia Canada. “They are three very open-minded individuals and before coming here we suspected that it would work.”
Roy agreed: “I feel that I have improved a lot in the past month and this competition has allowed me to gain valuable experience… I’m extremely proud to have represented Canada as we did!”
“Right from the start we saw Kyle as a potential Team player, given his background and life experience,” explained Nicolaï. “We suspected before the team competition, that he would blossom and show a different side to his individual game, which was clearly the case in the Team portion. In the past couple days, Kyle has been improving match after match! I’m very happy that we made the bold choice to bring him here as a rising star. Now that the ice is broken, it’s going to help him a lot in the rest of his boccia career.”
Next at the Cali World Boccia Challenger is BC3 individual play. On Saturday, BC3 Pairs begins where duo Alexandre Lemaire (Kingsey Falls, QC) and Marylou Martineau (Québec City, QC) play together after competing in their respective individual female and male category.
Find all the results and schedule here. You can also check out the Boccia Canada Facebook page for all posts regarding the competition 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