Civic reception held for history making sportsman from Ballycastle
Thu, January 10, 2019
A civic reception has been held for a history-making sportsman from Ballycastle.
Paul McLister was named Irish National BC4 Boccia Champion in Dublin back in December, becoming the first athlete from Northern Ireland to claim the title.
On his way to the gold medal position, Paul showed great composure and battling qualities in a very competitive final against team mate Jayne Milligan.
Speaking after the recent reception held in his honour, the Mayor Councillor Brenda Chivers said: “I would like to offer my warmest congratulations to Paul on this richly deserved achievement. He is a fantastic role model for all of us and I am delighted that his hard work and training efforts have paid off in this way. I am very pleased that we have ambassadors like him representing the Causeway Coast and Glens at the highest level in his chosen sport.”
Paul said: 'I am very pleased with my performance in the 2018 Irish National Boccia Championship. I have been training with great intensity over the past few months both individually and within the NI Boccia Performance Centre which has really helped my confidence and contributed to my success at this level. I take great pride in representing my local area and Borough when I am competing in local and national competitions. I am looking forward to future competitions this season and building on my success.”
Boccia Performance Pathway Officer & Lead Coach Odhran Doherty, from Disability Sport NI added: “Paul has been working really hard on and off court over the last number of months in the build up to the Irish Championships and his success in the competition is just reward for the effort and ability he has shown since getting involved in our Performance Programme for Boccia. Paul has made history in winning this title for the first time and we will work closely in the months ahead to continue his development in the sport.”
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