World gold medal for University boccia player Alex Medley

British boccia player Alex Medley – a sports scholar at the University of Stirling, the UK Sports University of the Year – has won gold at a major international championship.

Mathematics student Alex – part of the sport’s UK Talent Transition Programme – stood top of the podium thanks to a phenomenal performance at the World Boccia Challenger in Poznan, Poland.

Competing in the BC1 Male category, the 21-year-old won his first two matches to finish top of Pool B, before overcoming Denmark’s Daniel Qvist in the quarter-final (8-2) and Canada’s Joseph Paul Philpott in the semi-final (6-1). In the gold medal match, Alex stunned his Italian opponent Giuseppe Rollo, winning 9-0 to lift the trophy. The win was even more impressive given it was only Alex’s second international competition, and he was ranked eighth out of the 12 competitors.

Alex Medley pictured with his father Philip, part of his support team, in front of the Union Flag, following his win.

Speaking after his win, Alex said: “Due to my ranking, I did not expect to medal let alone win gold – but I have learned that playing one ball, one game at a time, is key for me; that stops me losing focus and getting ahead of myself.

“I won all my games, which was great, and my teammates Nicola Taylor and Penny Froude also performed incredibly well – getting gold and silver, respectively, in their matches – so that spurred me on to play my best as well. One of my objectives this season was to reach a semi-final at a World Boccia Challenger, so I am very happy to have surpassed my goal.”

Alex alongside Great Britain teammates Nicola Taylor (left) and Penny Froude.

David Bond, Director of Performance Sport at the University of Stirling – UK Sports University of the Year (Daily Mail University Guide) and Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence, offered his congratulations.

“Alex complements his incredible talent for his sport with an unrivalled work ethos – putting a great deal of effort into his training and competition, while balancing his studies. Earlier this year, he was announced as part of Boccia UK’s Talent Transition Squad and to now have his hard work further rewarded with a gold medal is just recognition for Alex, his coaches and the support staff.

“On behalf of University of Stirling Sport, I send our warmest to congratulations to Alex on this major win on the international stage.”

Alex Medley with his gold medal.

Boccia

Similar to bowls, boccia requires players to throw, roll or kick coloured balls as close as possible to a white target ball, known as the jack. Testing players’ muscle control, strategy and accuracy, the sport is played individually, as pairs or in teams of three over a set number of ends. Each side has six balls an end, with the winner the one with the most points at the end of a match.

Alex, from Auchterarder, Perthshire, was 10 years old when he was first introduced to boccia at a multi-sports day organised by Scottish Disability Sport. In October last year, he made his Boccia UK debut at the Olbia Challenger in Italy, finishing sixth having won all his pool matches.

As well as benefitting from the sports scholarship at the University, which provides access to world-class sports facilities, academic flexibility and strength and conditioning, Alex is supported by Scotland’s national scholarship programme Winning Students 100 and Scottish Disability Sport, and is coached by Peter McGuire, who represented Great Britain at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

In March, Alex was selected for the UK Talent Transition Squad, designed to develop young talent in the Paralympic sport and support athletes to reach the highest level. The Talent Transition Squad programme is led by Boccia UK and is supported by Boccia England, Disability Sport Northern Ireland, Scottish Disability Sport and Disability Sport Wales.

Alex now sets his sights on his next international competition, the Olbia World Boccia Challenger in Sardinia, Italy, in October.

Excellence

The University of Stirling is UK Sports University of the Year 2027 (Daily Mail University Guide) and Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence. Through the powerful and inspirational combination of performance sport, recreational sport, research and education, we are delivering medals on the world stage, improving the health and wellbeing of the nation, and producing the next generation of leaders within sport.

At Stirling, athletes have access to world-class facilities, including a 50-metre pool, a state-of-the-art indoor golf studio, unrivalled outdoor space, and state-of-the-art strength and conditioning suites. In addition to its coaching and facilities, Stirling’s International Sports Scholarship Programme – one of the largest high-performance programmes in the UK – offers athletes funding support, academic flexibility, equipment and kit. It has supported hundreds of athletes since its inception in 1981 – with many competing on the world stage, including at the Olympics and Commonwealth Games. Core sports include triathlon, golf, tennis, football, swimming, rugby and curling, while individual scholarships cover all Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games sports.

Read more about sports scholarships at the University of Stirling.