Cristina Gonçalves
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| National team | Portugal |
| Born | September 15, 1977 Lisbon, Portugal |
| Sport | |
| Country | Portugal |
| Sport | Boccia |
| Disability | Cerebral palsy |
| Disability class | BC2 |
| Team | APCL |
| Coached by | Rosa Carvalho |
Medal record | |
| Updated on 25 November 2017. | |
Cristina Gonçalves (born 15 September 1977) is a Portuguese boccia player who has cerebral palsy, She has competed for her country and won medals at several Summer Paralympics.
Career[edit]
Cristina Gonçalves was born on 15 September 1977 in Lisbon, Portugal.[1] When she was 11 months old, she contracted meningitis resulting in cerebral palsy.[2] She began competing nationally in boccia in 1998,[1] having taken up the sport at the age of 14. She is classified as BC2.[2] Gonçalves' first overall victory came in 2003 in the boccia World Cup in New Zealand.[3]
She attended her first Summer Paralympics in 2004 in Athens, Greece, where she won a gold medal as part of the team BC1-2 competition with a victory over New Zealand.[4] She continued to compete at successive Paralympic Games,[5] where she won a silver medal in the team event at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, China, but failed to win a medal at the 2012 Games in London, England.[6]
At the 2016 Summer Paralympics, she was the only female player on the mixed boccia team. They qualified out of the group stage following a loss to Argentina followed by victories over Slovakia and Brazil. They were beaten 8-5 by Japan in the semi-final,[7] resulting in a rematch against Argentina in the bronze medal match. Despite the earlier 1–7 loss, they defeated Argentina 6–2 to win the bronze medal.[8]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Cristina Gonçalves". Comite Paralimico Portugal. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
- ^ a b "Cristina, a rainha das medalhas" (in Portuguese). Santa Casa. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
- ^ "Cristina Gonçalves, boccia". Expresso. 25 November 2006. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
- ^ "Equipa portuguesa de boccia conquista ouro nos Paralímpicos". Publico (in Portuguese). 28 September 2004. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
- ^ "Atletas de boccia são os primeiros portugueses a competir nos Paralímpicos". Publico (in Portuguese). 6 September 2008. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
- ^ "João Paulo Fernandes admite erros da equipa de boccia". Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). 4 September 2012. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
- ^ "Paralímpicos'2016: bronze no boccia foi "fruto do trabalho de toda a equipa"". O Jogo (in Portuguese). 12 September 2016. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
- ^ "Paralímpicos'2016: bronze para Portugal no boccia". O Jogo (in Portuguese). 12 September 2016. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
- Living people
- 1977 births
- People from Lisbon
- Sportspeople with cerebral palsy
- Paralympic athletes for Portugal
- Boccia players at the 2004 Summer Paralympics
- Boccia players at the 2008 Summer Paralympics
- Boccia players at the 2012 Summer Paralympics
- Boccia players at the 2016 Summer Paralympics
- Paralympic gold medalists for Portugal
- Paralympic silver medalists for Portugal
- Paralympic bronze medalists for Portugal
- Paralympic medalists in boccia
- Medalists at the 2004 Summer Paralympics
- Medalists at the 2008 Summer Paralympics
- Medalists at the 2016 Summer Paralympics