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Australia will be one of the most talked about nations at the Paralympic Games in boccia when Daniel Michel and Jamieson Leeson line up alongside their respective ramp operators Ash Maddern and Jasmine Haydon at South Paris Arena.
Taking part in their third Paralympic Games, Michel and Maddern come into the 2024 Games with a bronze medal from Tokyo 2020 as well as a 2023 World Championship crown.
Michel and Leeson also teamed up to win the BC3 mixed pairs at the World Championship, with their standout results during the last cycle earning them the No.1 world ranking.
“It’s been an interesting three years, we’ve had a lot of success winning the world championships, winning several world cups and the regional championships, it’s been a pretty impressive cycle for us as a team and for me individually as well,” 29-year-old Michel said.
“I’m coming into this Paralympics in good form and with the results behind us, we know we have what it takes to win here.”
Boccia is one of only two sports at the Paralympic Games that do not have Olympic counterparts and Michel said it is undoubtedly one of the most competitive sports on the global stage.
“It’s a very competitive event in boccia, it stands up to any event in the world in terms of its competitiveness.
“Korea is number one, Japan, Thailand and Great Britain have got some great players, everywhere you look it’s a stacked field. It’s going to be a tough event to win but we can do it,” he said.
Boccia is known for the strong partnership between the athletes and their ramp operators, and Maddern said the longer she and Michel have worked together, the stronger they have become.
“I feel Dan and I have, over the years, become better friends and since Tokyo and winning the bronze medal…it’s given us even more drive to do better this time,” she said.
For 21-year-old Leeson, her second Paralympic Games will look very different to her debut, including being joined by a new ramp operator in Haydon. The two partnered in 2023 and have since enjoyed strong success.
“Jaz and I have been working together for just over a year now. It’s been a quick transition for her going straight into Paris, but she’s doing a great job, and we’ve had a few competitions together and she’s doing well,” Leeson said.
“It’s been a great cycle for us, we couldn’t have asked for a better lead up to Paris. We’ve had a few pretty good wins, especially at the World Championships in 2022, and I think that was one of our greatest achievements so far.
“Overall, Dan and I have got to work together for a lot longer now and heading into this Paralympics we can do a lot more than we did in Tokyo and I’m just keen to see what happens,” she said.
It’s going to be a very different Games for Leeson, who not only will have a new ramp operator and compete in front of packed crowds, but has also doubled her program to compete in both the individual and mixed pairs.
The boccia competition starts on Day 1, watch the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games on the 9Network and 9Now live and free, and on Stan Sport.
By: Lauren Ryan, Paralympics Australia
Published: 27 August 2024
