Natalie Chastain at the Americas Regional Championships.

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Two members of Team USA – Michele Lynch (Westmont, IL) and Natalie Chastain (Oark Park, IL) are set to compete at the 2022 Boccia World Championships in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Chastain will compete alongside her ramp operator, Silvia Pinon, in the women’s BC3 competition, while Lynch will play as a BC2 athlete.

Lynch is no stranger to Brazil, having competed there in the Americas Regional Championships last December and the Rio World Cup in April 2022. She holds a world ranking of 20th in the BC2 classification. Chastain also competed at the Americas Regional Championships en route to earning her first career world championships berth.

Lynch and Chastain are the first American athlete to earn a spot at a world championships competition since 2018.

Individual competition runs Dec. 6-10 as 169 athletes from 40 nations will meet in Rio de Janeiro to seek world titles.

Follow along with Team USA at the results tracker below, and watch the event’s livestream here.

Tuesday, December 6

Michele Lynch - L (8-5 vs Chantal Van Engelen, NLD)
Natalie Chastain - L (1-7 vs. Yuen Kei Ho, HKG)

Wednesday, December 7

Natalie Chastain - L (0-13 vs. Maria Bjurstrom, SWE) 

Michele Lynch - L (0-7 vs. Karina Martinez Sandoval, MEX) 

For media requests and photo inquiries, please contact Kristen Gowdy at Kristen.Gowdy@usopc.org.