Hanif Mawji spun a pair of gold medals at last week’s B.C. Boccia provincial championships in Victoria.
A national team member and Burnaby native, Mawji captured the individual mixed division title 5-3 over Paul Jalbert of Prince George.
In a duel of Paralympians, Mawji put up points first but Jalbert struck back to be within a point. The 51-year-old Mawji, who recently won the 2019 Defi Sportif AlterGo national open title, added a single point in the fourth to lock up his third straight gold.
“My disappointing performance at last year’s Boccia Blast and Canadian championships was an eye-opener for me because I’ve been a gold medallist for the past 10 years. I’ve practiced hard since then and it’s paid off. I hope to continue this momentum with the upcoming ParaPan Am Games in Lima,” said Mawji.
IN the semifinal, Mawji edged Victoria’s Chuck Reid 3-1 thanks to a push in the third end.
He also joined forces with Daniel Hutchison and Kylie Waters of Victoria to top the mixed team title.
As well as the Defi Sportif national open crown, Mawji recently was victorious at the Boccia Western Challenge.
A member of Canada’s national Boccia team, he competed at the 2008 Paralympics, and picked up silver and bronze at the 2015 ParaPan Am Games in Toronto.
Boccia is a Paralympic sport of precision and strategy similar to lawn bowling or curling, played by athletes with Cerebral Palsy, Muscular Dystrophy and related disabilities.
