Stephen - or Steph for short - is a fearsome competitor with the international record to prove it.
Category: BC4
Date of Birth: 18/8/84
Coach: Claire Morrison
From: Hamilton, Lanarkshire
stephen mcguire wiNS GOLD AT PARIS PARALYMPIC GAMES - CREDIT: IMAGECOMMS
Stephen McGuire MBE certainly doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. In 2024, “after twenty years of hard work”, Steph became Paralympic champion. He is also a formidable Pairs player and since teaming up with Sophie Newnham has become European Champion is 2025 and World Champion in 2026.
Previously, he has notched up notable career highlights including individual World Champion in 2016 , individual European Champion in 2017 and 2021.
He made his Paralympic debut at London 2012 where he competed alongside his brother, Peter. He has since competed at Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 and, of course, Paris 2024 where he won gold.
In 2022, he overcame serious injury. Breaking his knee and femur, he underwent major surgery. Committing himself to rehabilitation, he earned himself a place in the 2022 World Championships squad in Rio in December.
The following year, Stephen was selected for the European Para Championships in Rotterdam where he won a bronze medal individually and also a silver medal as part of the BC4 Pairs with Fiona Muirhead.
He showed brilliant form in 2024, feeling stronger post-injury, winning silver at the Montreal World Cup and gold at the Sao Paulo World Cup, which sees him rocket back up the world rankings.
He received a late call up to the Great Britain squad after receiving a bipartite slot. And he certainly delivered, winning gold in the BC4 men’s individuals.
His winning form has continued since Paris. he brought home double gold from the European Championships in July 2025, having won both the individual event and the Pairs with Sophie Newnham. In 2025, they won every Pairs match they entered and the winning form continued with victory at the World Championships in 2026.
He is a proud ambassador of the sport: “Boccia is the world’s most inclusive sport, no matter your ability you can compete on a level playing field. Boccia is a strategic, highly tactical, precision sport based on solid fundamentals of delivering a ball.”
Stephen was awarded an MBE in the 2024 New Year’s Honours.
Meet the rest of the Great Britain boccia squad…
