Mexico's Boccia Team Inches Closer to Paris 2024
Mexico's Boccia team shows promise at Paralympic qualifiers. Individual athletes excel, potentially securing spots for Paris 2024. The medal count grows, highlighting sport's development.
The national boccia team integrated by five athletes of the Mexican Federation of Sports for People with Cerebral Palsy (FEMEDEPC), ended its participation with a fifth and a seventh place in the Coimbra 2024 Paralympic Qualifying Tournament held from March 24 to 28 in Portugal for teams and pairs.
The BC4 pair, formed by the Mexican Karla Maritza Manuel Enriquez and Edgar Mora Cano, finished in fifth place in the tournament, after winning their first match 4-3 against Germany, beating Great Britain in the tiebreaker (after finishing 5-5), losing 3-6 against South Korea and losing 3-6 against Spain. The national duo was just one step away from the semifinals on points difference, as they had two wins and two losses, just like the Spanish duo, which in the end won the bronze medal. Brazil came in first place and Malaysia in second.
On the other hand, the BC1/BC2 team, formed by Karina Martínez Sandoval from Baja California, Eduardo Sánchez Reyes from Jalisco and Dubier Antonio Paredes Moroyoqui from Sonora, placed seventh after defeating Morocco 9-3 in their first match, before losing 2-10 against Indonesia, 2-6 against Hong Kong and 3-4 against China, the country that came in first, followed by Indonesia and Slovakia.
With these results, the national team, which was presented under the supervision of Aracely Garza Campos, head coach, has the possibility of securing the Paralympic places to Paris 2024 for Eduardo Sanchez Reyes in the individual BC1 class and Karina Martinez Sandoval, in BC2, due to the position of the Mexicans in the world ranking.
Both were gold medalists in their respective competitions at the last Parapan American Games Santiago 2023 and the official confirmation for these places will be given until June.
On the other hand, the World Boccia (international federation of the discipline), congratulated Mexico for the development of this sport that in this cycle harvested more than 25 international medals in World Cups, Challenger, Parapan American Youth Games Bogotá 2023 and Parapan American Games Santiago 2023.
In Tokyo 2020, Mexico was present in the boccia competitions, thanks to Eduardo Sanchez Reyes, who debuted in the Paralympic Games with two wins and two losses and was just one step away from qualifying for the quarterfinals.
Mexico's Boccia team narrowly misses the Paralympic semifinals, individual athletes hold onto qualification hopes. Credit: CONADE
