Wheelchair racer Jessica Cooper Lewis and Boccia athlete Yushae DeSilva Andrade were the only competitors from Bermuda at the Paris 2024 Paralympics.
DeSilva Andrade was looking for a sport to ensure she would not develop blood clots after spinal correction surgery. She took up Boccia after she watched Canada’s Josh Vander Vies playing without legs or hands.
“He was throwing balls, and I was like, ‘How do you do that?’ I was interested. And he saw me throwing, and he told me I have a talent for this,” DeSilva Andrade said. “I enjoyed the technical side of it, like you have to put strategy into it in order to play the game correctly.”
At South Paris Arena, DeSilva Andrade faced home favorite Aurelie Aubert in the Women’s Individual BC1 Semi-Final. While the crowd was chanting Aubert’s name, DeSilva Andrade also had a pack of supporters – it was her family and Lewis’ family. They were all wearing pink T-shirts and watched every throw she made on the court.
DeSilva Andrade lost in a tie-break and eventually finished fourth in the tournament – the closest any athlete from Bermuda has been to the Paralympic podium so far.
“The Semi-Final game was just crazy and spectacular to me. I fought until the end and it was just one of the biggest moments for me and I’m really happy and excited about that,” Andrade said.
Lewis was training at the time of DeSilva Andrade’s match, but her mom Lorri was sending her updates.
“I’m so proud of you for keeping at it and to be here together is absolutely amazing and very, very proud of her and the competition that she had here,” Lewis said. “She showed a lot of poise and a competitive drive right until the end. It was awesome.”
Lewis is the first Para athletics athlete and DeSilva Andrade is the first Boccia player to represent Bermuda at the Paralympic Games. DeSilva Andrade says people approach her on the streets at home, often asking her about the sport or what it feels like to be the first Paralympian.
“When I’m home people come up to me and they’ll be like, ‘What’s Boccia?’ and I’ll have to explain it to them more, because a lot of people don’t really understand what it is. Now I’m finding myself just explaining it more and having more conversations and getting people to open their eyes to what Boccia really is.”
“It feels surreal to me, I guess just because this is normal to me – just playing the game. I don’t see anything else around it. But people tell me all the time, ‘You know, you’re the first Bermudan Boccia player who has made it to the Paralympics.’ Then I think about it, and I’m like, oh yeah.”
She trains with two other Boccia players at a local high school. They often ask her to share her experience about competing in major competitions and how to stay focused during matches, keep cool and do not get intimidated by a big crowd.
By competing at Paris 2024, DeSilva Andrade is confident that there will be a hero’s welcome waiting for her when she returns home, while she hopes that her experience in Paris will help Para sport’s development in Bermuda.
“I feel it’s going to grow more because I’m in the spotlight more. I’ve done well here, so I feel like it’s just going to grow,” she said.
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