UPDATED: Levine and Ciobanu win bronze in BC4 pairs at boccia world championships

RIO DE JANEIRO – Alison Levine and Iulian Ciobanu of Montreal won the bronze medal in BC4 pairs on Tuesday to conclude the 2022 World Boccia Championships with Canada’s sole medal.

Levine and Ciobanu, both members of the last two Paralympic Games teams, defeated Japan 3-1 in the third-place match. Colombia defeated Slovakia 4-3 for the gold. 

It is the first worlds medal for both Canadians and will keep the duo in the world’s top-three in the next rankings. This is also another crucial step in the pair qualifying for the 2024 Paralympic Games as they gain important world-ranking points going into 2023.

“We knew it wouldn’t be an easy game but we were ready,” Levine told Sportcom. The pair were eliminated in the preliminary round at last year’s Paralympic Games and were sixth at the last worlds in 2018.

“We didn’t play our best boccia but we got the job done.”

Levine and Ciobanu’s combination of power and precision was the key.

The bronze medal match-up against Japan was back and forth, with the countries trading points in the first two ends. With Canada up 2-1 going into the last end, Ciobanu threw a great first ball that set the tone.

Levine followed with a power displacement shot and Ciobanu, again showing his touch, stuck their third ball and effectively hid the jack. Down to their last ball, Japan could not make the shot. 

”While Iulian and I  can both make all different types of shots, we definitely complement each other quite nicely,” Levine told Boccia Canada. “The medal means so much to me. There were 15 of the world’s best BC4 pairs, which is a huge undertaking. It’s a big milestone for us and for Boccia Canada.

”It was our time and we’re going to continue working hard. This is not the end.”

The Canadian pair went undefeated in the preliminary round with victories over Japan 5-2, Brazil 8-0, and Croatia 3-2. They scored another close victory over Ukraine 4-3 in the quarterfinals. Slovakia ended the Canadian run with a 6-2 win in the semifinals.

“This result is due to great teamwork not only between me and Iulian but the entire national squad training in Montreal,” said Levine. “We all deserve this medal and that was our way to thank everybody.”

In the BC1-2 team event, Danik Allard of Bois-des-Filion, Que., Krystin Collins of St. John’s N.L., and Lance Cryderman of Sudbury, Ont. did not advance to the playoff round.

With files from Sportcom and Boccia Canada