Boccia brothers are preparing for Tokyo
Two brothers from Dundonald have been chosen to represent the GB Boccia team at the Tokyo Paralympics.
Jamie and Scott McCowan, who are former pupils at Dundonald Primary School and Marr College, will be part of the nine-strong GB team aiming for medals at the showpiece event.
Boccia is a precision sport, like bowls and pétanque, for athletes with severe physical disabilities.
Boccia has been a Paralympic sport since the 1984 games in Los Angeles. Great Britain won a gold that year.
For Jamie, 26, this will be his second Paralympic Games after competing in Rio.
In 2017, he became the European BC3 champion and also won a silver medal in the BC3 Pair event.
Jamie said: “It is great to be back to normal full training after some time in lockdown and exciting to be heading to Tokyo with my whole family.
“We are fiercely competitive so during lockdown we played over 60 matches in our living room which decided our mood for the day depending on the result! My Mum and Dad are as desperate to win as much as myself and Scott.”
Tokyo will be Scott’s third Paralympic Games.
The 29 year-old’s last competitive outing was at the BISFed regional open in Nymburk, Czech Republic where he took a clean sweep of BC3 gold medals in both individual and the pairs event.
Scott said: “This Paralympic cycle has been the most difficult and challenging of my career. There have been many setbacks and disappointments along the way
where selection looked unlikely so it hasn’t quite sunk in yet but it has all been worth it.
“I must pay a big thank you to Boccia UK for their hard work even in the difficulties of the pandemic for helping me to return to court in such good condition, especially my coach Glynn Tromans who works tirelessly to make us the best in the world.”
The brothers, who live with Muscular Dystrophy, will be joined in Tokyo by their parents Gary and Linda as ramp assistants.
The duo only took up the sport in 2009 after trying it at the Ayrshire Special Games.
Fellow Scot Stephen McGuire, from Hamilton, has also made the squad.
Helen Nicholls, Boccia UK’s Performance Director, said: “The build up to this Paralympic Games has thrown our athletes and the support team so many challenges but they have responded with resilience and determination.
“In this squad, we have experienced, established athletes as well as three players who will be making their first-ever Paralympic appearance.
“With less than 50 days to go until the Tokyo 2020 Games, our preparations are on track and we’ll be ready to take on the world’s best boccia players.”