PUPILS at Braishfield Primary School received a visit from a Team GB Paralympian this week.
The three times gold medallist athlete, David Smith MBE who is from Eastleigh and member of the GB boccia team talked to the children about his Paralympic experiences, what the sport known as boccia is and what it was like to be representing Great Britain in Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
Boccia is a game where athletes throw, kick or use a ramp to propel a ball onto the court with the aim of getting closest to what is called a 'jack' ball
It is designed specifically for athletes with a disability affecting locomotor function and can be played indoors or outdoors on a court similar in size to a badminton court
David not only talked about the sport but children were also able to try it for themselves.
After the games, children were allowed to hold David’s gold medal.
Jim Cascarini, head teacher said: “The children were totally inspired by David's visit and can't wait to try their hand at boccia themselves. They also saw that their day-to-day learning experiences are important for their future in the wider world and that our school learning values of resilience, independence and inquisitiveness were all aspects of David's success as a Paralympian."
David took to Twitter to show his appreciation of the visit to the primary school, he wrote “Had a great time in Eastleigh. Braishfield Primary visit was great fun. Enjoyed the celebration and saw lots of friends and family.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here