CHENNAI: Four persons from Tamil Nadu won medals at the 10th Senior National Boccia Championship 2025-26, held by the Boccia Sports Federation of India at Veer Savarkar Sports Complex in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, from January 27 to February 3. M Mahalakshmi (27) from Vellore took gold in the BC-2 female individual category.
Boccia, a Paralympic precision ball game, is designed for disabled individuals with cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, and spinal cord injuries. The game uses 13 balls – six red, six blue, and one white target ball, called the jack. Players aim to throw the balls as close to the jack as possible, with the winner determined by the proximity of their balls to the target.
Out of 15 players from the state, S Dinesh Kumar from Tiruchy won silver in the BC-1 male individual category, while Mahalakshmi took gold in the BC-2 female category. M Anusuya from Chennai secured silver in BC-3 female individual category. In the mixed BC-3 pairs category, Anusuya and Umaya Saravanan from the city won bronze medals as a team.
Sathish Kumar from Ektha Trust, which trains boccia players from Tamil Nadu, said the organisation has been providing training to over 1,000 players across the state, to enable them to compete at national and international levels. International participation costs up to `3 lakh per player.
Mahalakshmi, who has been playing boccia for 1.5 years, said, “This is my first nationals. Ektha has supported us nationally. I would like to progress further and compete internationally, but we need continued support from Ektha, and the government to reach there.”