RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Team USA’s Michele Lynch (Westmont, Illinois) and Natalie Chastain (Oak Park, Illinois) each completed their world championships debut at the 2022 Boccia World Championships last week in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The pair ended the competition with a combined record of 0-4 in pool play.

In the BC2 classification, Lynch put on a promising performance in her opening match against Chantal Van Engelen of the Netherlands, nearly pulling out a win before falling 5-8. Lynch was leading 5-2 heading into the fourth and final end of the match.

“I thought her level of play tactically was exceptional,” Kathy Brinker, Team USA’s head coach, said. “She has made a tremendous amount of progress since her performance in the World Cup last April.”

Prior to her second round of pool play against Mexico’s Karina Martinez Sandoval, Lynch experienced an equipment failure from which she could not recover. With just one functional brake, Lynch contained Sandoval in the first and second ends, but faltered in the fourth to drop the match 0-7.

“Mentally she was tough throughout the competition particularly when she realized she was at a disadvantage with equipment failures,” Brinker said. “We have many good things to build off of from this competition with Michele.”

Chastain, along with her ramp operator Silvia Pinon, made her first international appearance in a year, having last competed at the America’s Regional Championship in Brazil last December. She fell 1-7 and 0-13 against Hong Kong’s Yuen Kei Ho and Sweden’s Maria Bjurstrom, respectively.

“Natalie was creative in the shots she took, particularly against Yuen Lei,” Brinker said. “She continues to learn a lot from playing against higher ranked players and improving her skills on court.”

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