Ottawa, ON (April 15, 2025) – Team Canada finished the second leg of the Santiago World Boccia Challenger with four more medals, adding to their earlier tally for an impressive seven-medal finish. With BC3 and BC4 individual events wrapping up alongside BC4 Pairs play, Canadian athletes rose to the occasion once again on the world stage.
Headlining the medal rush was Iulian Ciobanu (Montreal, QC), who went undefeated to capture two gold medals—one in the BC4 Individual event and another in the BC4 Pairs competition alongside longtime pairs partner Alison Levine (Montreal, QC). The three-time Paralympian is showing no signs of slowing down and was satisfied with the results.
“It’s a great start to 2025 and I’m hoping it will set the tone for the rest of the competitions this year,” said Ciobanu.
Levine also shone individually, earning silver in the BC4 category. Together, she and Ciobanu made a strong statement in the Pairs competition, dominating their matches with a 6-1 win over Chile and an 11-2 win over Peru to secure the gold.
Levine and Ciobanu have shared this boccia journey through three Paralympic Games—Rio, Tokyo, and Paris—and are now looking ahead to Los Angeles 2028. This is only the beginning of what they hope to achieve.
In the BC3 Individual category, Alex Lemaire (Kinsey Falls, QC) celebrated a breakthrough by earning his first-ever international silver medal. Lemaire advanced to the finals after finishing in the top two in his pool and defeating Argentina’s Rodrigo Romero 4-2 in the semifinals. He faced Brazil’s Mateus Carvalho in the gold medal match. While the final score of 7-0 favoured the Brazilian, Lemaire remained upbeat.
“I’m happy to have participated in my first grand finale in the gold medal game against the sixth best player in the world right now, Mateus Carvalho,” said Lemaire. “I’m learning a lot at these competitions and this gold medal match was no exception!”
Lemaire was accompanied by his BC3 performance partner and father, Francis Lemaire, whose unwavering dedication and support have been instrumental in his son’s boccia career.
The strong finish in Santiago follows Canada’s promising start to the season, after three youth athletes brought home four medals from the World Boccia Youth Championships in Curitiba last month. With an exciting and competitive year ahead, the team is already gaining momentum on the road to Los Angeles 2028.
TOTAL MEDALS EARNED IN SANTIAGO
BC1
Male
Lance Cryderman – Silver (Individual) & Bronze (Team)
BC2
Female
Liza Puri – Bronze (Team)
Male
Danik Allard – Bronze (Individual & Team)
BC3
Male
Alex Lemaire – Silver (Individual)
BC4
Female
Alison Levine – Silver (Individual) & Gold (Pairs)
Male
Iulian Ciobanu – Gold (Individual & Pairs)
About Boccia Canada
Boccia Canada is the boccia delivery arm of the Canadian Cerebral Palsy Sports Association (CCPSA), the National Sport Organization for the Paralympic sport of boccia. Boccia Canada is focused on providing athletes and individuals of all ages and skill with the chance to play a unique Paralympic sport. CCPSA leads, develops and grows boccia from grassroots to producing World Champions, and we collaborate with partners to increase participation of Canadians with physical disabilities in sport.
About boccia
Boccia is a Paralympic sport of precision and strategy similar to lawn bowling or curling, played by athletes with Cerebral Palsy, Muscular Dystrophy, and related disabilities. It is one of only two Paralympic sports that do not have an Olympic counterpart. Athletes compete in one of six sport classes based on their level and type of disability: BC1, BC2, BC3, BC4, BC5, and Open. For more information on boccia, visit www.bocciacanada.ca.
Media Contacts:
Holly Janna
Communications Lead and National Team Coordinator
Boccia Canada
hjanna@bocciacanada.ca | 514-944-5193