Valuable Experience for Young Canadian Boccia Team in Poznan, Poland
Marylou Martineau finished in fourth place in BC3 female individuals at the Poznan World Boccia Challenger
Ottawa, ON (August 24, 2023) – Three Canadian youngsters took to the international stage in Poznan, Poland to compete at the World Boccia Challenger. For Olivier Dussault (Québec City, QC) and Alexandre Lemaire (Kingsey Falls, QC) it was their first international boccia experience ever. Current National Team Member Marylou Martineau (Québec City, QC) lost in the bronze medal match of BC3 female individual play to her opponent from Poland.
BC2 athlete, Olivier Dussault explained, “even though I lost two games in the individual tournament, I worked on the game plan, observed my opponents, and took notes about the different strategies to work on. During my two games, I was nervous and put too much pressure on myself. In the days that followed, I focused on observations of other athletes’ emotions and strategies to improve my game.”
Lemaire was satisfied with his performance having won his first World Boccia match 9-1 against Marko Arambasic from Croatia in pool play. “The level of play is very high here and that has been a really great learning experience for me.”
Head Coach, César Nicolai, concurred that “Alex fought well both individually and in pairs. I’m very satisfied with the level of play he’s developed here, which bodes well for the future,” explaining later that “the level of play is still high despite it being a Challenger event.”
Lemaire and Martineau did not advance in BC3 Pairs play, but “despite our two defeats in Pairs,” explained Lemaire, “we learned a lot about game communication and strategies during our time in Poznan.”
Nicolai believes that “it was their first competition together so, for Marylou and Alex, there’s still work to be done on communication and decision-making in certain tricky situations.”
On Martineau’s side, she narrowly missed a podium in BC3 Female Individuals, losing 4-2 to Malgorzata Perlinska in the bronze medal match, however, her level of play continued to improve as the tournament moved on. She won in the quarters 7-2 against Yi-Chen Chen of Chinese Taipei, who was undefeated at the tournament up until then.
Alexandre Lemaire is 21, Martineau 22, and Dussault 28 years old. All have had increasing success over the years in their individual classifications at the Canadian Boccia Championships, competing for Boccia Québec.
Pictures will continue to be uploaded on the Boccia Canada Facebook page here.
Find all the results from the competition here and you can rewatch the webcast on the event’s YouTube page 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