By Graham Thomas
Brazil led the way at the Birmingham 2026 World Boccia Challenger in the United States, finishing top of the medal table after a commanding week that saw their athletes excel across both individual and team events.
Led by multiple gold medallists including Maciel Santos and José Chagas, Brazil collected four golds in total and underlined their depth across the BC1/BC4 classifications.
Their success also extended into the pairs and team competitions, where they also achieved a presence on the podium.
Mexico pushed them closest in the standings, finishing second overall with two gold medals and a strong spread of results across all categories.
Stand-out performers included BC4 Male gold medallist Ivanildo Souza, BC1/BC2 team champions Mexico, and BC2 Female silver medallist Karina Martínez Sandoval, as they combined consistency with key victories in the team and individual events.
Chinese Taipei secured third place in the medal table, with their strongest impact coming in the BC3 and BC4 disciplines.
They were spearheaded by BC3 pair champions Tzu-Wei Cheng and Chia-Jung Hu, while Szu-Min Chiu added a bronze in BC4 Female to ensure steady contributions across the board.
Sweden made a breakthrough by claiming a gold medal – a notable BC3 Female victory for Maria Bjurström and assistant Ann-Christie Bjurström, one of the most impressive performances of the tournament.
Canada also left Birmingham with a solid return, earning two medals, a BC2 Female bronze for Megan Ravary, alongside team bronze in the BC1/BC2 event.
The United States secured a home medal with Nick Taylor’s silver in the BC4 Male – plus another notable silver medal in the BC4 Pairs competition.
El Salvador impressed in the BC1/2 Team event category by taking silver behind Mexico.
Elsewhere, Bermuda celebrated an individual gold through Yushae Andrade in BC1 Female, as the experienced Paralympian proved her form.
South Korea’s Sohyeon Park and Chinese Taipei’s Yi-Ting Tsai also reached the podium in that event, underlining the global competitiveness of the field.
Peru, meanwhile, earned a bronze in the BC3 Male event through Alejandro Hinostroza Mujica and assistant Tania Marinas, adding further diversity to a medal table that featured athletes from across the Americas, Europe and Asia.
Here’s the list of the Birmingham 2026 World Boccia Challenger winners.
BC1 Female
🥇 Yushae Andrade (Bermuda)
🥈 SOHYEON PARK (South Korea)
🥉 YI-TING TSAI (Chinese Taipei)
BC2 Female
🥇 Rebeca Duarte (El Salvador)
🥈 Karina Martinez Sandoval (Mexico)
🥉 Megan Ravary (Canada)
BC3 Female
🥇 Maria Bjurstrom / Ann-Christie Bjurstrom (Sweden)
🥈 Evani Soares / Renata Santos (Brazil)
🥉 Evelyn de Oliveira / Roberto Rodrigues (Brazil)
BC4 Female
🥇 Laissa Guerreira (Brazil)
🥈 Karla Manuel Enriquez (Mexico)
🥉 Szu-Min Chiu (Chinese Taipei)
BC1 Male
🥇 Jos Chagas (Brazil)
🥈 Eduardo Sanchez Reyes (Mexico)
🥉 Chia-Sheng LIU (Chinese Taipei)
BC2 Male
🥇 Maciel Santos (Brazil)
🥈 rogelio gonzalez quiroz (Mexico)
🥉 DUBIER PAREDES MOROYOQUI (Mexico)
BC3 Male
🥇 Tzu-Wei Chang / Chia-Jung Hu (Chinese Taipei)
🥈 Min-Che Chen / Hsiu-Yu Chen (Chinese Taipei)
🥉 ALEJANDRO HINOSTROZA MUJICA / Tania Marinas (Tania Marinas Peru)
BC4 Male
🥇 Ivanildo Souza (Brazil)
🥈 Nick Taylor (United States)
🥉 JUAN SALAZAR GONZALEZ (Mexico)
BC3 Pairs
🥇 Chinese Taipei
🥈 Sweden
🥉 Brazil
BC4 Pairs
🥇 Mexico
🥈 United States
🥉 Chinese Taipei
BC1/2 Team
🥇 Mexico
🥈 El Salvador
🥉 Canada
