Choi Ye-jin rallies from early deficit to reach boccia world final in Seoul

Korean boccia player Choi Ye-jin advanced to the final at the World Boccia Championships at the KSPO Dome in Songpa District, southern Seoul, on Sunday. 

World No. 1 Choi beat Jamieson Leeson of Australia 6-3 in the women’s individual BC3 semifinal.

Boccia is a Paralympic precision ball sport in which athletes aim to place colored balls as close as possible to a white target ball, or jack. BC3 is a classification for athletes with severe impairments in all four limbs who use a ramp to deliver the ball, with assistance from a ramp operator who cannot influence the shot.

Choi got off to a shaky start, conceding three points in the first end. She fought back to tie the match 3-3 in the second before pulling ahead 5-3 in the third. Choi added another point in the fourth and final end to seal her place in the final.

Choi had gone 2-1 in the group stage before facing Rehab Almgbal of Saudi Arabia in the quarterfinals. She built a 4-0 lead but allowed her opponent to draw level at 4-4. She eventually prevailed by one point in the tiebreak.

Choi is one of Korea’s most decorated boccia players. She won gold in the BC3 individual event at the London 2012 Paralympics after defeating Jeong Ho-won in the final. She also won gold in the pairs event at both the Rio 2016 Paralympics and the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.

The World Boccia Championships began in Lisbon, Portugal, in 2010. Held every four years, they are the sport's top world championship event. Top-ranked athletes qualify through international results or world rankings. 

BY KIM HYO-KYOUNG [[email protected]]