Bermuda Boccia Players Compete In Montreal
[Updated] Omar Hayward and Yushae DeSilva-Andrade are competing at the Montreal World Boccia Cup this week.
A spokesperson said, “Omar and Yushae are competing at the Montreal World Boccia Cup this week from April 25 to April 28 in their first competition of the year. Over 100 athletes from 28 countries are competing. Yushae goes into the competition ranked 10th in the world and Omar 30th. Both are hoping to qualify for the Para Pan American Games being held in Chile in November.
“Yushae won her first match 7-1 over world number 19 Japanese player Hiromi Endo from Japan. Yushae showed great composure and made some crucial shots when the pressure was on. She will now play world number two Dora Basic from Croatia. Yushae lost by a single point to Basic in the World Championships in December and will draw on that experience tomorrow.
“Unfortunately Omar lost both his pool matches and will not progress to the finals. He lost 13-0 to world number six John Loung from Hong Kong and then lost by a single point 4-3 to world number 10 Panagiotis Soulanis from Greece. Omar showed great fight to claw his way back into the match against Soulanis after going down by four points in the first end.
“He then won the next three ends, however could only manage to score one point each end. To push the 10th best player in the world all the way to the wire was a great effort. He also has had a tough preparation after breaking his ankle recently after being struck by a car. The fact he is here competing against the worlds best players is a victory in itself.”
Update 6.29pm: A spokesperson said, “Yushae lost today to the world number 2 Dora Basic from Croatia by 1 point 4-3. Pushing the world number 2 all the way to the wire was a great effort and shows Yushae can match it with the worlds best. Although she lost she finished top of her group due to a superior point difference and earned an automatic place in semi finals. She will play tomorrow morning against Malaysian player Angeline Lawas.”
