Ayrshire’s two-time British Paralympic boccia player, Jamie McCowan, has today called time on his glittering international career.
The highly decorated player – who reached number two in the world rankings - has competed since 2006.
And since 2014, the Dundonald-based ace has been joined by his mum and ramp assistant, Linda.
The former Marr College pupil has represented Great Britain at the Rio and Tokyo Paralympic Games and has achieved multiple medals at world-class events.
Boccia is a precision sport, like bowls and petanque, for athletes with severe physical disabilities.
Boccia has been a Paralympic sport since the 1984 games in Los Angeles.
Jamie, 28, started playing in the BC4 category in which he won gold in the Pairs event at the European Championships.
Moving into the BC3 classification, Jamie again won gold at the European Championships in 2017, this time as an individual.
And he went on to win silver as part of the BC3 Pair at the same tournament.
In 2022, he seized gold at the World Boccia Challenger in Poznan, overcoming World Champion Greg Polychronidis.
And in his final tournament, just last month, he finished just outside the medals in fourth place at the Montreal World Cup.
Jamie and Linda often competed against and alongside older brother Scott, assisted by dad, Gary, who retired last October.
In fact, at the Tokyo Paralympics, Jamie and Scott were drawn against each other in their first pool match, meaning all four members of the family were on court at the same time.
His career also saw him win the British title three times across two classifications, most recently in 2022, in a closely contested competition against brother, Scott.
Jamie now plans to turn his attentions to coaching.
On his decision to call time on a highly decorated international career, Jamie said: “After 17 years, I have taken the tough decision to retire from playing.
“From the age of 11, I have grown up playing boccia and the high lows, victories and defeats have all added up to become the most amazing experience and career.
“It’s been an honour to represent Boccia UK and I’m proud of what I’ve achieved.”
Jamie went on to thank those who have been instrumental in his career, saying: “My family have been huge supporters and I would never have got this far without them.
“My mum is still by my side as my ramp assistant after all these years and I would like to thank her for everything.
“And, of course, I’d like to thank all of my coaches over almost two decades, but in particular thank you to Claire Morrison for introducing me to the sport and also Glynn Tromans for his incredible commitment and support.”
Glynn Tromans, performance coach, said: “Jamie’s time in the sport pre-dates my own when he was playing as a BC4.
“I started working him at the tail end of 2014 when he switched to play as a BC3.
“In that first 12 months, Jamie didn’t compete internationally but instead really got to grips with the ramp and the technical nature of the sport.
“It was probably the longest technical transition phase of any BC3 and this is Jamie through and through - thorough, focussed and determined.
“He went on to compete at the World Championships in 2016 where he finished fifth – an amazing achievement in what was only his second tournament as a BC3. It was very clear we had a real player on our hands!
“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working with Jamie and Linda – who has made an enormous contribution – and sharing in their successes.”
Greg Baker – who joined Boccia UK this year as performance director – said: “Jamie has had an incredible career and his hard work, commitment and passion is clear to see. Both Jamie and Linda will be missed by everyone within the World Class Programme and indeed the wider boccia community.
“Since I joined Boccia UK, it became clear that Jamie is an athlete who thrives on planning and analysing, leaving no stone unturned in his quest to meet performance goals.
“We now look forward to working with him to help him progress as a coach and we’re thrilled that his insights and knowledge will be poured back into the game.”
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