Australian boccia athletes shine on world stage in Seoul
Australian athletes achieved two podium finishes and marked an important international debut at the Seoul 2026 World Boccia Championships.
The Australian team included representatives from Boccia Australia, a member of the Australian Sporting Alliance for People with a Disability (ASAPD).
Dan Michel, supported by ramp operator Ash Maddern, became the men’s BC3 individual world champion. Jamieson “Jam” Leeson and ramp operator Jasmine Haydon earned bronze in the women’s BC3 individual competition, while Aaryan Shah represented Australia at a World Boccia Championships for the first time.
Dan and Ash progressed to the men’s BC3 final, where they met Brazil’s Mateus Carvalho. Only one point separated the competitors at the end of the match, with Dan securing the world title by a score of 3–2.
The result was a significant achievement for Dan and Ash and reflected the preparation and teamwork of the athletes, coaches and support staff involved in Australia’s campaign.
In the women’s BC3 competition, Jam and Jasmine faced world number one Yejin Choi in the semi-final and were defeated 6–3. They then met Greece’s world number two Dimitra Papadopoulou in the bronze-medal match.
After entering the final end three points behind, Jam and Jasmine drew level and sent the match to a tie-break. They prevailed in the tie-break to claim Australia’s second individual medal of the Championships.
Seoul was also an important milestone for Aaryan Shah, who made his World Championships debut in the BC2 classification.
Aaryan arrived at the event ranked 22nd in the world in men’s BC2. His progress up the international rankings was supported by a silver-medal result at the 2025 World Boccia Challenger in Canberra.
His selection gave Aaryan the opportunity to represent Australia against leading international competitors and broadened Australia’s representation across the boccia classifications.
The results in Seoul recognised the achievements of experienced Australian athletes while also highlighting the development of emerging talent within the national boccia pathway.
ASAPD congratulates Dan Michel, Ash Maddern, Jamieson Leeson, Jasmine Haydon and Aaryan Shah, as well as the coaches, staff, families and supporters who contributed to Australia’s performance in Seoul.
