Britain’s up and coming boccia stars have been celebrating several international victories of late, and they will have the opportunity to cement their success at the Olbia Challenger in October.

The tournament will feature all four athletes from Boccia UK’s Talent Transition Squad:

Penny Froude – who won silver at the Poznan Challenger
Tyler McLelland – who claimed his first-ever international individual gold at the Pilsen Challenger
Alex Medley – who secured his first international gold medal at the Poznan Challenger
Nicola Taylor – who won gold on her debut for Boccia UK at the Poznan Challenger

Fiona Muirhead, who is supported by the World Class Programme, will also be aiming to secure further ranking points following her silver medal at the Pilsen Challenger.

Fiona muirhead and Tyler mclelland on the podium in pilsen

There will also be a new face representing Great Britain in Italy. Wales’ Rachel Bailey will compete in the BC1 category, thanks to support from Disability Sport Wales.

It is hoped that Olbia will cap a brilliant year for the Talent Transition Squad. Boccia UK’s Head of Performance Pathway, Liz Fisher, explains:

“We first established the Talent Transition Squad in 2023 to bridge the gap between athletes competing domestically in the UK and those who are supported by the World Class Programme. And to date, we have seen Sophie Newnham and Reshad Saraj go from strength to strength, graduating onto the World Class Programme, with both athletes competing at the World Championships this year and Sophie of course winning gold in the Pairs event.

“We are also seeing some really strong performances from the four athletes currently on the Talent Transition Squad. Tournaments in Poznan and Pilsen have seen Great Britain secure international medals and athletes are climbing the world rankings.”

Tyler McLelland says:

“As part of the Talent Transition Squad, I’ve been able to improve through regular training with World Class Programme athletes, in particular Stephen McGuire which has helped a lot. I also do a lot of training by myself and Michaela Rihackova, the Talent Transition Squad coach, has really given me the support I need to want to keep going. She’s had a big impact on my performance because she is so committed to helping me improve. She believes in me.”

The Talent Transition Squad, working closely with home nation programmes, gives access to: