Great Britain recently came home from the Seoul Boccia World Cup in a jubilant mood after Stephen McGuire and Sophie Newnham won gold in the BC4 Pairs. It’s the first World Cup gold medal for Britain in the BC4 Pairs event since 2018.

In the individuals, David Smith OBE added a silver to the GB haul while Sophie Newnham added a bronze to her collection.

Seoul Boccia World Cup success for British duo Stephen McGuire and Sophie Newnham

The gold in Seoul is the latest triumph for the Stephen McGuire and Sophie Newnham partnership. Already this season, they have become European Champions.

The result will surely be an essential recce for the World Championships, which will be held in the same Seoul venue next year.

Stephen explained: “We came to South Korea to play the best in the world, to learn valuable lessons on and off court before next year’s World Championships. We played well, and the results went our way. It’s back-to-back golds for us and, as a new pair, it’s really exciting to see where Sophie and I can get to.”

Sophie Newnham – who is 17 years old and is expected to climb into the world’s top ten female BC4 players – said:

“I’m over the moon to have won two medals in Korea. I had a shaky start to the week and wasn’t playing my best boccia, but I slowly got back to where I wanted to be. Winning the bronze in the individuals gave me momentum going into the Pairs with Stephen.

“It’s been super helpful to compete in this venue where the World Championships will take place next year. It was also good to play the Asian athletes whom I’ve not played before. They sometimes play a different style of game, and it was invaluable experience ahead of next year.”

Read: Sophie Newnham: Teenage Talent Leading The Next Generation In British Boccia  

David Smith secures silver in Seoul showdown

David Smith OBE – who is enjoying a great run of form – was able to clinch silver. Meeting Muhamed Syafa in the final, it was the first clash between the BC1 competitors since the Indonesian beat David in the Paris Paralympic Games bronze medal match:

David said, “I’m disappointed I couldn’t quite replicate my semi-final levels, but sometimes that’s just how the balls run, and Muhamed was a bit too good today. But there were more positives than negatives this week – ahead of the final, I was able to score freely on my ends and play how I want to. There are a few valuable lessons ahead of the World’s next year. I’ll continue to find improvements for this coming winter training period.”

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