World Boccia Championships silver medal for Papworth Everard and Great Britain player Will Hipwell
Will Hipwell returned from last week’s World Boccia Championships in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with a silver medal.
Papworth Everard’s Hipwell, who was appearing in the competition for the first time, was part of the Great Britain BC1/2 team alongside David Smith and Claire Taggart that was just edged out by South Korea in the final.
Hipwell said: “It feels fantastic to medal at a World Championships considering that as a team in the last World Championships in 2018 we didn’t make it out of the group stage.
“It feels good to have achieved playing in the final and getting on the podium.”
Hipwell’s success was part of an overall positive tournament for the British squad, who won a total of three medals, including Taggart becoming the first female to win the BC2 Women’s title.
Taggart said: “I’m delighted to be coming home as world champion. I didn’t expect it at all.
“It’s been an amazing championships and to add a second medal in the team is incredible. I’m so proud of David, Will and Sarah and Tom, our coaches.”
Meanwhile, Great Britain’s performance director Greg Baker added: “This World Championships in Rio has truly shown the strength in depth internationally in all classifications in boccia.
“Nevertheless, the Great Britain squad has performed to high levels, bringing back three medals and some other fantastic performances across the squad.
“We have beaten top-level opposition and players inside the top five ranked positions in the world.
“This will give us a platform to build on for the future as we try and increase our strength in depth and breadth across the world class programme.
“We have an exciting future ahead of us as we head into 2023 for Paris (Paralympics) qualification and we want to keep improving as a squad.
“With three finals, one gold medal and two silver medals, we have certainly put Boccia UK on the map, and we absolutely want to stay there.
“It’s now time to reflect, debrief and rest during the Christmas period and then start getting ready for what will be another busy year in 2023.”
