Paris 2024: Ana Sofia Costa’s great Paralympic boccia adventure

In April, Portugal's Ana Sofia Costa won gold at the World Boccia Challenge in Zagreb, Croatia. The BC3 athlete, who made her Paralympic Games debut at Tokyo 2020, beat Czechia's Marcela Cermakova 7-3 in the final, to put her on track for her ultimate career goal – Paralympic gold.  

"I competed in Tokyo. But the biggest dream I have, and my goal, is to be a Paralympic champion," the 28-year-old said. 

The story so far  

When she was two years old, Costa was diagnosed with a limb-girdle muscular dystrophy. Her muscles got weaker and weaker and when she was nine, she started using a wheelchair.  

She first tried out boccia in 2010 through the club Centro Joao Paulo II in her hometown of Fatima. 

"At first, it was just a matter of trying it out once, then it became a hobby, and then, little by little, it became a passion," she explained. 

"The sport completely changed my life. I got to know lots of people and other cultures and have learned a lot from that.” 

Five years ago, she got her first national team call-up and started a successful collaboration with her sports assistant Celina Gameiro. In the BC3 class, the partner plays an important role to operate the ramp that the balls are launched on. It requires a lot of chemistry and training, and it would bring Costa's game to new heights. 

"What I like most about boccia apart from the game itself is meeting other people, studying tactics and improving my thinking," Costa said. 

From first-time Paralympian to world champion 

Costa’s first major career milestone came on the biggest stage of all, as she competed at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. 

"It was my first international top-level competition, and the experience was very rewarding because everything was new," said Costa, whose idol is six-time Paralympic medallist Grigorios Polychronidis. 

"It was a very different experience. So many people, so many different sports, and I think that was the best thing I took away from that competition." 

Costa was eliminated in the group stage after three straight defeats including a valuable boccia lesson from Polychronidis himself, who beat her 9-0 on his way to a silver medal. 

Those lessons bore fruit in December 2022, when she became a world champion for the first time in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, after twelve years in the sport. 

"This journey has been a great adventure. I have been training for so long and each competition is always an adventure in itself. Little by little, this also makes my evolution better and gives me a passion to always want to get better." 

"The message I want to send out to people with some type of disability is, don't be afraid to play sports, even if your illness or disability is very challenging. I can't do many movements, but I still can play sports." 

Podium in Paris? 

 In the three years after Tokyo, Costa has gained more experience and several international titles to her name. In January she switched ramp operator to Maria Vieira, and it has been a success so far. She arrives in Paris as one of the medal favourites.  

"Having the possibility to compete at these Games is already a big victory for me. Since the biggest dream I have is to become a Paralympic champion, I have to be there to be able to make that dream come true." 

With that elusive Paralympic gold medal on her mind, however, she is determined that the best still lies ahead of her. 

"To become a great champion, you need a lot of willpower, desire, ambition and always wanting more," said Costa. 

"The biggest challenge I've faced to date is to keep growing in each competition. It could sometimes be about just improving a small move or decision." 

Apart from winning a medal, she hopes that the Paralympic Games will bring a boost to the sport, with lots of spectators in the stands as the competitions are decided at the South Paris Arena. 

"At a first glance, it might not seem very interesting. But over time, I hope people will understand what a great sport it is and fall in love with it."