Tuesday, November 21st, 2023.- The disputes for medals in boccia continue, now clearing the path towards their final stages in the BC3 and BC4 categories.

In the first of these, in the male's round, the Argentinian Rodrigo Romero is already anticipating the fight for gold after defeating the favorite in this encounter, the Peruvian Dean Acosta, ranked fifth in America.

On this occasion, Romero didn't have an easy task, overcoming Acosta in the final round by 3-2, with a score of 0(2)-1-1-1.

As an unexpected novelty, the match was stopped because the assistant of the Peruvian made a penalized maneuver and accidentally moved the ramp of the competitor, thus moving the boccia, an action not allowed in this game. With this result, Romero will face Mateus Carvalho from Brazil in the final for the gold, tomorrow Wednesday at 4:20 PM.

After his triumph, Romero expressed all his emotion. "It was a very disputed match; it was anyone's game. With just a year in the selection, what we did is huge. I'm looking forward to the final with a lot of respect. I know Mateus, we faced each other in the group stage, hopefully, I can take the gold," he said.

Athletes in the BC3 class have significant limitations in the function of their arms and legs and little or no control of the trunk. They cannot hold or release the ball solidly and cannot consistently push the ball within the playing field. They are allowed to use a ramp with the help of a sports assistant.

Meanwhile, in the BC4 female's category (players with non-cerebral disabilities that also affect their coordination), Colombian Leidy Chica, ranked 1st, defeated Chilean Alfonsina Urrejola with a categorical 12-0, with scores of 5-4-2-1. Thus, she also moved on to the fight for the gold.

"I'm happy. Against Canada, undoubtedly, it will be a very tough final, where anything can happen," said the top favorite after her passage to the decisive encounter.

The final will be held tomorrow Wednesday at 3:10 PM against Canadian Allison Levine.

It is worth noting that boccia at Santiago 2023 grants slots for the Paris 2024 games.

Written by José Tomás Lambert - Rodrigo Parraguez; translated by Vicente Valdivia / Santiago 2023 vía Photosport
Photo by Luis Hidalgo / Santiago 2023 vía Photosport