On Sunday, athletic ambassador Nathan Galarneau-Desjardins concluded his para hockey tournament. On the same day, the national boccia competition crowned its champions.
Quebec’s boccia players conclude National Open in brilliant fashion
In the finals of the National Boccia Open, the players represented their provinces from April 26 to 28.
A total of 47 players took part in the tournament, and Quebec’s athletes came out on top in their categories. Marc-Antoine Goupil and Sandrine Dion won gold and bronze, respectively, in the mixed BC4 and BC5 category. The BC2 and open categories saw all-Quebec podiums, thanks to the performances of Olivier Roy, Olivier Dussault, Christopher Labelle, Ariane Soulard, Nancie Caldwell, and Myriam Morin. In the BC3 category, Alexandre Raymond and Esraa Sbeiti battled it out for gold in a match that ended in Sbeiti’s favour.
National boccia team head coach César Nicolaï, who attended the tournament, was not surprised by Quebec’s performance. “Quebec has dominated in Canada for years. […] This validates the quality of Boccia Québec’s circuit, as well as everything that has been implemented by the associations.”
Montréal’s two junior para hockey teams on the podium
Nathan Galarneau-Desjardins and the Montréal Greys remained undefeated throughout the junior para hockey tournament. On Sunday, they secured the gold medal by defeating Hamilton 2-1 in the big final.
The Montréal Whites rounded out the podium with a convincing 8-1 win over Brampton.
Paralympian Jimmy Pelletier presents medals to winning teams
Jimmy Pelletier was at the Howie-Morenz arena to present the medals to the young para hockey players, accompanied by our spokesperson Hugo Girard. The Paralympian witnessed first-hand the joy of the Montréal Whites as they clinched the bronze medal. He was keen to describe the experience. “It’s great to see. I’d rather see them on the ice than in front of a video game console,” explained Pelletier, who participated in the Défi Sportif as an athlete in the past. “Also, it’s fun to be out on the ice. I used to play hockey too, so it’s really an honour for me to be here today.”
Hugo Girard was driven by the same passion as he cheered on the athletes of the Défi Sportif AlterGo. “To me, they’re not just people with disabilities. To me, they’re incredible people who push themselves and who deserve the same titles and the same opportunities as all athletes.”
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What’s happening on Monday?
The Claude-Robillard Sports Complex will host the athletes of the school component of the 41st Défi Sportif AlterGo. Track and field, baseball, rhythmic gymnastics, ball hockey, wheelchair slalom, and soccer are all on the program. The opening ceremonies of the Montréal 2024 World Boccia Cup will be held at the Maurice-Richard Arena. The first matches will take place the following day. The Quebec para hockey team will seek to avenge Friday’s defeat in its second match against Team China.
