Stephen McGuire MBE and Sophie Newnham have won gold at the World Boccia Championships in Seoul, defeating China in a tense final that went down to the final end. The world number ones took a 3-0 lead after two ends, but China equalised in the third, setting up a decisive fourth end in which Newnham played the winning shots, with her final ball finishing right on top of the jack.
First World Championships gold for Newnham
Newnham, still only 18 years old, claimed her first ever World Championships gold medal. "I don't really have the words right now," laughed Newnham. "What a game - we always said it was going to be a battle and it certainly was. The third end got a bit nervy for us and going into the fourth at 3-all, we knew it was going to be a one end battle. But we managed to get over the line. I would have liked to have progressed further in the individuals so to take home some bling is a wonderful feeling and I'm sure we'll celebrate tonight."
McGuire, who first competed at the World Championships 20 years ago, said it was a privilege to play with her. "She's amazing. It's her first World Championships and gold medal in the Pairs – those last three shots she played were spot on."
Road to the final
In the semi-finals, the duo beat Paralympic Champions Colombia on tiebreak and overcame Portugal 8-1 in the quarter-finals. For McGuire, the victory marked a milestone moment. "It's been 16 years since GB has been in a final in the Pairs so to get the win is fantastic. It's been a wonderful week."
The pair has been playing together for three seasons. In 2025, they won gold at every tournament they entered and were crowned European Champions in 2025. They will soon be gearing up for the LA Paralympic Games.
Head coach praises achievement
Rikki Bingham, head coach, commented: "To come away with a gold medal at a World Championships in Asia is a huge achievement as the continent dominated the event. In the BC4 pairs medal matches, every athlete except Sophie had a Paralympic medal so it was extremely competitive."
While the squad will be celebrating the victory, they will be reflecting on what they can learn from the individuals. Seven out of eight players escaped the pool and into the knockout rounds, with four reaching quarter-finals. David Smith OBE got as far as the semi-finals and was then denied the bronze medal after coming up against old rival Witsanu Huadpradit.
Other squad performances
Smith will surely be heartened however by solid performances this week – individually and in the Team event. The Team, which hasn't played much recently because Kayleigh Brown has been on maternity leave, beat South Korea, who are ranked third in the world, on tiebreak and Slovakia 10-2.
The BC3 Pair was also able to build experience. Sally Kidson and Patrick Wilson came close to overcoming Hong Kong – the world number three – losing 4-5, which augurs well for the new partnership.
Rikki added: "Overall the squad has shown significant potential. There were a number of near misses but we had opportunities and everyone demonstrated the capability to bridge the gap as we move closer to LA."
