Stephen McGuire says winning Paralympic gold is a dream come true – and feels like ‘boccia is complete’.
McGuire, 40, from Hamilton, returned to the World No.1 spot by winning BC4 gold in the South Paris Arena with an 8-5 win over Colombia’s Edilson Chica Chica on Monday.
Paralympics was the only medal in the sport that McGuire hadn’t previously achieved, but has now won gold in every competition possible.
McGuire, who qualified for the tournament in France via a bipartite slot after a nightmare year with injury, says the moment was “surreal”.
But McGuire admits it was emotional being surrounded by family and friends, including brother Peter McGuire, who was commentating.
He said: “This is a dream come true.
“I’ve achieved every single gold medal possible in boccia, which is quite a thing to say, to be honest, and it feels a bit like boccia is complete at the moment.
“It has been a 20-year journey, one of perseverance, to keep trying until you achieve your dream, and I feel like I’ve done that.
Everybody that knows my journey, my story, knows that I’ve had three fourth places.
“The semi-final has always been the crunch point for me, so when I got over that hurdle here in Paris the final just sort of flowed.
“I knew I was guaranteed a silver and the only medal I hadn’t got was a Paralympic medal, and I just played with freedom.
“I played the game, and not the occasion, and came away with the gold.
“I just gave it everything, with no regrets, and luckily it paid off.”
McGuire is looking forward now to some down-time and says he hasn’t yet thought about a fifth Paralympic Games in LA in 2028.
He said: “I’ve not thought about LA and it’s a question that comes up a lot at the moment.
“I’ve just gone back to World No.1, for the first time in three or four years.
“I’m looking forward relaxing and celebrating when I come home, with friends and family.
“Getting the medal was extremely emotional. “Jacqueline Lynn [coach], who introduced me to boccia, was there 20 years ago and was there at that moment I won the gold medal, so it was just the most amazing day.”
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