Dukovich dominates on first day of individual play at TO2015 Parapan American Games
Toronto, ON (August 9, 2015) – It was a packed day for all ten members of the Canadian boccia squad at the Toronto 2015 Parapan American Games as each athlete competed in the first round of individual pool play at Abilities Centre in Whitby.
A strong performance was delivered by BC2 athlete Adam Dukovich (Ottawa, ON), who first crushed Matt Hiltner of the United States with an impressive score of 13-0 and then went on to beat Jonathan Aquino with a score of 9-1. He faces off Sebastian Gonzalez of Argentina tomorrow. “Today was a great day for me. I played well and I played smart and I took important steps towards my quest for another medal. If I continue to play this way, I’m confident in a victory over Gonzalez tomorrow!” said Dukovich.
In BC1 play, Hanif Mawji (Vancouver, BC) was a formidable opponent, winning his one match of the day against Guilherme Germano Moraes of Brazil. Known for his consistent performance on the court, Mawji remained calm under pressure to take four points in the last end. Of the game, he says “it started off looking like a tough game, both of us touching the jack in the first end resulting in a 1-1 score. I was able to capitalize in the third and fourth ends, taking advantage of a little opening between his blocks and slithering in to nail the jack.”
Eric Bussiere (Montréal, QC) performed exceptionally well in BC3 play with a smooth 9-3 win over Angie Aya Cardozo of Colombia, while his pairs partner Paul Gauthier started the day playing teammate Bruno Garneau. “We fought back and forth as we normally do, but ultimately I was able to pull out a 4-2 win.” Gauthier followed up with an overtime victory against Gabriela Villano of Argentina. “I nailed the jack in the perfect spot during overtime, which made it difficult for her to get past me to score.”
Team Canada flag bearer Marco Dispaltro (St.Jérome, QC) showed why he is the number one ranked player in the BC4 classification with a convincing 10-1 win against José Buzzo of Argentina.
Individual play continues tomorrow with the medal rounds taking place on Tuesday, August 11th.