Eighteen-year-old Sally Kidson has made a flying start to the season, finishing fourth at the Zagreb 2023 World Boccia Challenger in Croatia, beating World Champion Ana Costa of Portugal in the process, and helping bring the team one step closer to the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games.

A game of strategy and accuracy, boccia is the world's fastest-growing disability sport. Sally competes in the BC3 category which means she makes use of a ramp and is joined on court by her mother, Sarah, as ramp assistant.

As the youngest member of the team, Sally’s on court skills are certainly impressing Boccia UK boss Greg Baker, who said: "Fourth place is a superb result, especially given Sally has only just joined the World Class Programme, which is supported by UK Sport and The National Lottery. Her victory over the World Champion has been a real highlight of the tournament for me and she went on to narrowly losing 3-2 in her bronze medal match to one of the world’s best players from Brazil. Sally is very new to international competition but she is already proving that she can compete against the best.”

Sally is also a keen musician currently studying at Treloars School, and has performed with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra Resound ensemble and the National Open Youth Orchestra.

At the time of joining the World Class Programme, Sally said: "I'm so thankful for Boccia UK for giving me the opportunity to join the World Class Programme and to continue on the international stage. I'm excited to see what the rest of the year brings."

In Zagreb, the Boccia UK squad certainly made an impression as qualification opened for the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games. They topped the medal table, winning five medals in the individual competition - three of which were gold.

Greg said: “It’s been a fantastic tournament so far and sets us up well ahead of the Montreal World Cup in April. To win five medals here against nations like Portugal and Brazil means that everything’s moving in the right direction.”

On Friday, March 31, the squad began their Team and Pairs campaign with hopes of further boosting their medal haul.

Sally has teamed up with Patrick Wilson of Edinburgh for the BC3 Pairs.