Monday, November 20th, 2023.- Omar Yussef Hayward caused an upset in another day of boccia at the Santiago 2023 Parapan American Games. The Bermudian player defeated Brazilian José Carlos Chagas de Oliveira in a tiebreaker (6-6) and claimed victory in Group A in the BC1 category, held at the Centro Deportivo Comunitario de Lo Espejo.

The Caribbean player will battle for a shot at the gold medal in the semifinals against Canadian Lance Cryderman, while Chagas, the top-ranked player in the continent, will compete against the second-placed in the region and Group B leader, Mexican Eduardo Sánchez.

Sánchez acknowledged the challenge posed by his opponent: "I have to give my all. I feel encouraged and motivated for tomorrow, I want to play against him. It's not the first time because I faced him in the World Cup and we won. It's going to be very intense."

The day also marked the elimination of Chilean Germán Calderón, Peruvian Neil Castro, and Venezuelan José Gregorio Pagua.

This sport pits two opponents or teams against each other, aiming to throw the ball closest to the target while attempting to keep the opponent's balls away from that point.

Written by Rodrigo Parragué and Nicolás Olea; translated by Vicente Valdivia / Santiago 2023 vía Photosport
Photo by Pablo Bigorra / Santiago 2023 vía Photosport