Brazil won three medals in the individual disputes of the Boccia World Cup held in Seoul, South Korea, this Monday (31). The main result was the gold medal for José Antônio Santos, only 19 years old, in the BC4 class, a category intended for athletes with severe disabilities who have no option for assistance.
In the BC4 final, José Antônio defeated Hong Kong athlete Yuk Wing Leung by a score of 6 to 1 and secured the world title. In addition to the gold, Brazil also obtained the silver with Mineiro Mateus Carvalho in BC3 and the bronze with Ceará native Maciel Santos in BC2.
José Antônio is native to São José de Mipibu, in Rio Grande do Norte, and has Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a genetic disease that causes progressive degeneration of the muscles.
After the victory, the young Brazilian expressed his emotion, stating he was very emotional about the work carried out by him, his coach, and his team over time.