By Graham Thomas and Jane Thomas
Great Britain’s athletes delivered an historic performance at the 2025 European Championships in Zagreb, Croatia.
Edging out rivals Portugal, Britain topped the medal table and claimed their largest-ever haul at the tournament: four gold medals and two bronze.
The record-breaking success included a return to the top of the podium for former Paralympic BC1 champion David Smith, Britain’s most successful boccia athlete of all time.
Paris 2024 Paralympic champion Stephen McGuire (pictured above) struck gold not once, but twice — winning the individual title and partnering with teenage sensation Sophie Newnham (17) to secure gold in the BC4 Pairs.
Another major British triumph came in the BC3 women’s category, where Sally Kidson, alongside ramp assistant Connor Wellfare, upset the odds to win her first ever major title.
Ranked 15th in the world, Kidson defeated defending champion Sonia Heckel of France in the final, edging a tense 3–2 win.
Britain’s success re-affirmed the country’s status as one of the dominant forces in European boccia, but there were also notable performances elsewhere, particularly from Portuguese and French gold medalists.
While Britain led the medal standings, Portugal also showcased their strength in depth.
Carla Oliveira took gold in the BC4 female category, while José Gonçalves triumphed in the BC3 male event.
The Portuguese team also clinched the BC1/2 team gold and a silver in the BC3 pairs competition.
Portugal also supplied one of the most eye-catching performances of the championships thanks to rookie Diogo Castro.
The 18-year-old Castro knocked out former Paralympic champion, the hugely experienced Grigorios Polychronidis of Greece, in the quarter-finals of the men’s BC3 tournament.
Casto – who was playing in only his third international competition – then overcame Damian Iskrzycki of Poland in the semi-finals, before he was denied gold in the final by his Portuguese team-mate, Gonçalves.
Other stand-out champions included France’s Aurélie Aubert, who backed up her memorable home triumph in Paris last year by becoming European champion as well as Paralympic champion at BC1 female.
Hungary’s Vivien Nagy (BC2 female), and Slovakia’s Robert Mezik (BC2 male) also took gold in exciting finals, whilst Greece emerged victorious in the BC3 pairs.
Germany and Spain completed the BC4 pairs podium behind Great Britain.
As the Paralympic cycle continues, the Zagreb tournament provided a thrilling glimpse into the future of boccia, with new stars emerging to challenge the established order.
With rising talents, such as 20-year-old Kidson and teenagers Newnham and Castro, throwing down the gauntlet to proven champions, the stage is set for a fiercely competitive lead-up to next year’s World Championships.
The British team returned home with top honours in both individual and pairs competitions and that was particularly satisfying for Scotsman McGuire.
“To come to Zagreb and get double gold at the European Championships is something I’ve never achieved before,” said McGuire.
“To come away with this trophy with Sophie is the icing on the cake and we of course have qualified for the World Championships.”
He added: “The tournament has been fantastic for Great Britain. To come away with four golds and two bronzes is a terrific haul.
Personally, to win two gold medals at my first major event off the back of Paris is more than I thought possible.”
Seventeen-year-old Newnham, competing in her first major international tournament, also picked up an individual bronze, announcing herself as one of boccia’s rising stars.
“I’m really, really happy to come to my first major competition – my first European Championships – and to win two medals is an amazing result for me,” said Newnham.
“I’m just glad to have had Steph by my side to achieve that.”
Kidson’s BC3 victory was especially emotional, following the death of her former boccia pairs partner Will Arnott late last year.
“It’s very special to me to be able to achieve something like this after the passing of Will seven months ago,” she said.
“We actually began our Pairs partnership at the Europeans in 2023, so it’s a special tournament for me.”
Smith’s return to gold-medal form came after he surprisingly missed out on the podium at the Paralympics.
This time, though, the Wales-based athlete reclaimed his European crown after being edged out in last year’s final.
“I’m feeling really good about the European gold – it was a good tournament for me,” said Smith.
“It’s nice to be back on the winning step, having not won a final at a majors for a little while. It felt good to get a big title under my belt again.
“There’s still stuff to work on but it’s a good starting point and it shows I’m heading in the right direction,” added Smith, who also debuted a new wheelchair and set of boccia balls.
Among Britain’s bronze medalists was Kayleigh Brown (née Haggo), who earned third place in the BC2 category while six months pregnant.
“Finishing my last competition before maternity on a high is a good place to be,” said Brown.
“Being six months pregnant came with some challenges but I’m really pleased with how I was able to adapt this week.”
Britain’s all-round performance impressed Boccia UK Performance Director Greg Baker.
“Not only have we finished top of the medal table which is a huge achievement to beat nations like Portugal, but we’ve also notched up our best-ever performance at a Europeans,” he said.
“For me, it was fantastic to see three athletes coming through and winning major medals for the first time – Sally Kidson, Sophie Newnham and Kayleigh Brown.”
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World Champion Claire Taggart has announced her retirement from boccia.
The three-time Paralympian from Larne in Northern Ireland has made the decision after 11 years representing Great Britain.
The 30 year old competed at the Rio, Tokyo and Paris Paralympic Games and won the World Championships in 2022.
Taggart said: “After a lot of soul searching and struggling with my mental health for years, I have made the decision to retire from boccia.
“Elite sport is somewhat extraordinary in nature – travelling the world, competing on the biggest stages and making friends with your rivals all over the globe.”
“However, there are other aspects – the overwhelming pressure to perform, the amount of travel and time away from home, but mostly – the overarching singular hyperfocus on one thing – boccia.
“Being an elite athlete means experiencing the extremes of emotions, the difficulty of separating your performance from your self-worth, and the difficulty of knowing when it’s time to stop.”
