SPORTSABLE member Tia Ruel has made her debut with the Boccia UK paralympic team at the Scottish International Open Event in Inverclyde.

Ruel, 20 and from Wokingham, assisted the BC1/2 Boccia UK squad in their mission towards winning gold in the team competition.

Ruel also won a silver medal as an individual athlete, playing a great final against the world number one and SportsAble Patron David Smith MBE.

She had to beat fellow England Boccia athlete Jabe Peake plus world ranking players from Ireland, Denmark and Scotland to secure her place in the final.

Ruel is one of very few females competing in the game and is a hopeful for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

She has been a member of SportsAble since 2006, first joining to focus on field athletics and then discovering a love of boccia. She is a regular at the Tuesday night sessions and also uses the boccia court at SportsAble for individual training when she can.

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