Four Canadians Qualify for Boccia Semifinals at TO2015 Parapan American Games
Four Canadians advance to the semifinals of the 2015 Parapan American Games boccia tournament in Toronto
Toronto, ON (August 10, 2015) – It was a busy day at Abilities Centre in Whitby, as four Canadians qualified for the semi-final round of the individual competition. BC4 athlete CIBC Team Next member Alison Levine (Montréal, QC), BC3 athlete Éric Bussière (Montréal, QC), BC1 Hanif Mawji (Vancouver, BC) and BC2 athlete Adam Dukovich (Ottawa, ON) will all be playing in the semi-finals on August 11th.
Levine exceled, winning both of her matches, starting with a score of 3-1 against Brazilian Dirceu Pinto, and following up with an 8-2 win over Argentinian Tadeo Villagro. Levine pinpointed the moment when she knew she had Pinto beaten, saying “I had a great first ball in my last end. Pinto tried to get rid of it, but missed completely. He tried to get rid of again and just pushed my ball even closer to the jack. I knew at that moment that he would not be getting the point back and I could sit back and relax. He threw all his balls, and I opted not to throw my five others.”
Dukovich once again proved himself a force to be reckoned with, beating Sebastian Gonzalez of Argentina 3-2. “In the final end it was tied 2-2 and I had to make two bounce shots in a row to get past a good block to score the winning point – I am feeling great heading into tomorrow’s playoffs and if I play like I did today I am confident I will be on the podium”
Mawji prevailed over Mauricio Ibarbure of Argentina. “It was a really tight match, and almost a replica of one we played in Kansas City last year. I scored one point in each of the first three ends, maintaining a small lead, and though he did manage to score one in the final end – it was enough, I took the win.” Meanwhile, Bussière won both of his matches to advance. He started the day with a 4-2 victory against Brazilian Antonio Leme, and then met teammate Bruno Garneau in the quarterfinal. He trailed Garneau through the first three ends, but came from behind in the final end to squeak out a 5-4 win.
It was a tough day for flag bearer Marco Dispaltro, who faltered against up and comer Euclides Grisales Diaz of Colombia. Down 5-0 going into the final end, Dispaltro made a late charge, but came up just short late, losing 5-2. Dispaltro’s response to the loss was philosophical, saying “You fall down, you get back up, and you’re always learning stuff”.