Britain’s long-standing men’s individual BC1 players failed to clinch a medal and Boccia’s legendary David Smith stated, “If I did not laugh, I would cry” and made airs of the joke to the journalists. He had triumphed in the individual event at his last two Paralympic outings and was in Paris to sustain that record on the biggest stage.
However, a shock semifinal defeat to South Korea’s Jung Sungjoon and a 5-3 loss to Paralympic debutant Muhamad Syafa of Indonesia on 1 September meant that he did not make the podium in the individual event for the first time since Beijing 2008.
“I knew that I would lose at some point, but just unfortunate that’s how it was that it was a semifinal that I should have won.” Said the British star who dyed his hair blue and red for the Tokyo 2020 games.
To be honest, ‘One more day’, I would have won that semifinal comfortably.
Boccia gods
On 1 September, Paris 2024’s initial medals in Boccia were presented. Smith stated that he was not much concerned about medals in his 5th Paralympics; he only focused on a game and thought that he would get results no matter how good he played.
He also could not apply pressure on himself of being a defending champion since “I’ve done it” in a wonderful world of fashioning out stunning career ways. But he says that the level of the sport has been elevated much in the recent past years.
“But this time around I came in not dominant. I came in knowing that I wanted to be the world number one for as long as possible and I’ve been fighting tooth and nail to stay there, knowing that there are people on either side waiting to supplant me.”
Top of his game
These games have been played over the period of three days and Smith secured successive victories in all his games in the preliminary stage in the South Paris Arena 1. But he said he started his best at the early stages of the tournament.
“I knew it myself that I can’t do much more than that. That is all there is to it. When you’re playing at the top level and you know that you have three games remaining and you have reached your optimum best, when you had to produce the best to defeat an opponent to secure a place in the right side of the pool,” he noted. “I prepared as well as could be expected but I just lost my energy. ”
In the semifinal, Smith lost a three-point lead that he had had after the first end as the South Korean athlete emerged winner by 4-3. During the day, he also faded away from the lead and also finished behind Indonesia’s Syafa.
The floor of the arena was also a factor, the floor, which had been difficult for Smith to adapt and search for ways to conquer it, saying that it was not suitable for him.
“I have probably medalled in every single tournament that I’ve had in the last 3 years, which I think is some achievement given the standard that you can now see it; but unfortunately not this time.”
One more event
Still, Smith has one more event to attend and that is in Paris before he returns home. He will take part in a mixed-team BC1/BC2 event with Claire Taggart from September 3 till September 5.
“But who knows? I don’t know. I’m not going to predict the team anymore because my predictions have been rubbish. ”
Medal matches in Paris
In the women’s individual BC2 event, the gold was clinched by Cristina Goncalves of Portugal, where she defeated Jeong Soyeong of South Korea 4-1 in the other medal games of the day. On debut for the Paralympics, Japan’s Hiromi Ando won bronze.
There has been a separate entry for men and women for the first time in the individual competition for the Paralympics to be held in Paris.
In the men’s tournament, Thailand’s Worawut Saengampa took the gold, while the honor of silver went to Muhamad Bintang Herlangga from Indonesia. Thailand’s four-time Paralympic gold medalist Watcharaphon Vongsa has claimed bronze.
