Bermuda’s Boccia contingent endured a challenging start to their campaigns on the opening day of individual pool play at the Birmingham World Boccia Challenger in Alabama.
Three athletes are representing the island at the prestigious international event, which marks the return of elite world-sanctioned boccia to United States soil for the first time since 2017. While the tournament offers critical ranking points on the long road to the LA28 Paralympic Games, the opening round-robin fixtures proved unyielding for the local side against elite opposition.
In the BC1 Female division, Bermuda’s top-ranked competitor Yushae DeSilva-Andrade faced a formidable opening test in Pool A. DeSilva-Andrade, who entered the season in fine form, was left frustrated by a clinical performance from Brazil’s Andreza de Oliveira, who secured a commanding 5-0 victory.
There was similar frustration in the men's brackets. Competing in Pool A of the BC1 Male division, the experienced Omar Hayward struggled to find his rhythm against the United States’ Cornelius Oatis. Capitalizing on home-court advantage, Oatis asserted his authority early to run out a comfortable 7-1 victory.
Meanwhile, the tournament provided a significant personal milestone for Zeik Blakeney, who made his highly anticipated international debut in the BC2 Male division.
Having officially passed his classification evaluation ahead of the event to begin his world-ranking journey, Blakeney was handed a baptism of fire in Pool C. He went down 15-0 to El Salvador’s seasoned competitor Mario Sayes. Despite the heavy scoreline, the overseas exposure marks a crucial learning curve for the debutant as the Bermudian trio look to regroup for their remaining pool matches.
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