POVOA, Portugal – Canadian boccia star Alison Levine won her third medal in as many international tournaments since last summer’s Paralympic Games this past weekend at the Povoa de Varzim World Cup.
Levine, ranked second in the world, added a bronze to the gold she won at the Sao Paulo Americas Regional Championships and silver from the Rio de Janeiro World Cup earlier this year.
The 32-year-old from Montreal defeated Germany’s Anita Raguwaran 4-1 in the bronze medal match.
The turning point of the game was in the third end, when Levine depleted Raguwaran’s balls and created space in front of the jack which allowed her to score two points. She scored one point in the last end to cap the victory.
“I’m definitely happy to have secured another medal” said Levine, a two-time Paralympian. “Now three for three in the female division which is a good accomplishment. I joked today that I had gold and I had a silver so I had to get a bronze today.
‘’Not playing my absolute best but still being able to come out with the wins when it matters.”
A total of eight athletes competed in the individual competition in Povoa de Varzim. Lois Martin (St. John’s, NL) made it to the playoffs while Danik Allard (Bois-des-Filion, QC), Iulian Ciobanu (Montréal, QC), Lance Cryderman (Sudbury, ON), and Marco Dispaltro (St.-Jérôme, QC) lost against their opponents in the quarterfinals.
World championships spots on the line at Americas Cup
The Canadian men’s and women’s wheelchair basketball teams are set to compete at the Americas Cup qualifier from July 13-18 at the Brazilian Paralympic Training Site in Sao Paulo.
The Americas Cup serves as the qualifier for the IWBF World Championships in November 16-27, 2022 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The top three women’s teams and the top four men’s teams qualify for Dubai.
The women’s team, which features nine returning athletes that placed fifth at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, play in Group B against Brazil, Bolivia, and Guatemala.
The squad includes Arinn Young, Cindy Ouellet and Kady Dandeneau.
“This team is prepared and ready to build off last summer’s performance in Tokyo,” said Senior Women’s National Team Head Coach Marc Antoine Ducharme. “With a strong returning group and a couple of new faces, our team chemistry is strong, and the athletes are ready to perform in Brazil.”
On the men’s side, Team Canada has nine returning athletes, including Bo Hedges and Nic Goncin, that were part of the eighth-place team at Tokyo 2020. The men’s team play in Group B against Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico.
“Our team has been hard at work preparing for the qualifier,” said Senior Men’s National Team Head Coach Matteo Feriani. “With some new faces in the mix for Brazil, we are continuing to build chemistry within the group. I am confident in this team’s ability to qualify for Worlds.”
Canada’s first games are on Wednesday. The men face Argentina and the women start against Guatemala.
Team Canada’s men’s and women’s games will be streamed on the CBBC TV YouTube channel and the IWBF Facebook page.
