Edwards and Moulam retire

Two-time Paralympian Evie Edwards has confirmed her retirement from the sport of boccia. She is joined by Beth Moulam – who competed in Tokyo – in calling time on their international careers.

Edwards has been in the World Class Programme since 2014. As part of the BC4 Pair, she competed at Rio 2016, securing a fourth place finish, and the delayed Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. The 27-year-old from Ipswich has amassed four golds, five silvers and three bronzes medals at World and European level.

Boccia UK Performance Director Helen Nicholls said:

“Evie has wowed us over the past two Paralympic cycles with world class shots, often at the most crucial moments. She has always had the ability to change the entire course of a match. She has shown amazing resilience and toughness over the last few years and is well respected by the whole squad and will be hugely missed”

Evie at the 2018 World Championships in Boccia.

Edwards added:

“To compete at two Paralympics is something I’ll always be very proud of and I’ve made some really good friends along the way. I will never forget the atmosphere in Rio and having my Dad by my side as my assistant, experiencing it all! I will also always appreciate the competitions where I had family dressed up supporting me, and cheering louder than anybody else! These will always be the highlights of my time in the squad.

“I just want to thank everyone that has helped me including past and present coaches, family, friends as well as team mates and staff at Boccia UK.”

Edwards now looks ahead to giving back to the community as part of the Active Suffolk board and as a volunteer for ActivLives in Suffolk:

“My passion for disability sport runs deeper than just competing at international level and I hope I can inspire other people to enjoy disability sport as much as I do.”

Meanwhile, Beth Moulam is also retiring. She was invited onto the World Class Programme in 2020 and was selected for the delayed Tokyo 2020 Games.

She was just six years old when the now legendary Caroline Baird crossed the line at the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games to win gold in the 400m. It was a moment that inspired a sporting dream in Beth.

Nicholls explains:

“Beth came into the squad on a rapid acceleration programme before the announcement that the Games would be postponed. Her commitment and ability to prepare to take to the court with the best in the world has been second to none..”

“My aim had always been Paris 2024,” explains Moulam. “So I was honoured to be selected for Tokyo 2020. For me, this demonstrates that dreams, determination, hard work and resilience can pay off. I’ll always be grateful to Boccia UK for believing in me. Stepping out onto the Tokyo field of play has undoubtedly been my best life moment to date.

Beth at the 2021 European Championships

Away from boccia, Moulam has achieved a 1st degree from the University of York in social policy. She is a keen public speaker and has presented all around the world since the age of 12 about Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). Since Tokyo, she has been busy delivering workshops, training and mentoring:

“My lifelong passion is to empower people with communication impairments to fulfil their own communication and life potential,” adds Beth. “I’ll be taking with me so much of what I’ve learned through boccia as I work towards making this vision my new reality.”

Boccia UK now continues with plans to support new female players into the World Class Programme. Recent rule changes have been introduced to separate male and female individual events. It means that boccia now offers increased opportunities for female players.