En route to Paris: Boris Nicolai and Anita Raguwaran ready for the challenge 

Today it begins: our boccia players Anita Raguwaran and Boris Nicolai are on their way to Paris to complete in the upcoming Paralympics, which are taking place in the city on the Seine from 28 August to 8 September 2024. Around 4,400 of the world’s best disabled athletes will be competing for medals and top positions in 22 different disciplines. The two HYLO^® athletes are Germany’s only boccia players appearing in Paris. Both will be competing in the individual competition for the BC4 class.  

Boris Nicolai
The German boccia pioneer

39-year-old Boris Nicolai from St Ingbert was the first ever German boccia player to make it to the Olympics. His journey began quite by accident on a holiday to Tenerife, when he first discovered the sport. Since then, he has played his way into the world top ten and achieved some remarkable successes, including a historic bronze medal at the 2018 World Championships in Liverpool. Nicolai, who previously played tennis, particularly enjoys the tactical and precision-based aspects of boccia. This is Boris‘s second Olympic appearance after his 2021 debut in Tokyo, where he competed without an audience under pandemic conditions. He is particularly excited about Paris: 

I am looking forward to a lively atmosphere and am proud to be able to represent Germany once again in my sport of boccia

Anita Raguwaran
Paris debut is a dream come true

This will be Anita Raguwaran‘s first Olympics, and she is the first woman to represent Germany in the sport. The 34 year old from Saarbrücken-Dudweiler has already proven her skill countless times. Her passion for the sport was sparked by her teammate Boris Nicolai, who she met at a rehab clinic in 2015. She has since enjoyed numerous successes, including fifth place at the World Championships in Rio. Anita is delighted to have qualified for Paris: 

I closed the door on sport as a child, it was never a big thing for me – so being part of it now on the big stage is incredible!’

Strong together 

Both athletes have muscular dystrophy, a genetic muscle weakness. They train at BRS Gersweiler-Ottenhausen e.V. and have since become a strong duo. They have achieved countless successes for the German national team in recent years playing as a pair (mixed competition). They made German boccia history with their world cup victory in Rio de Janeiro in 2022. Sadly, they did not manage to qualify as a pair for Paris – even if this should have been the easier route to the French capital. Boris Nicolai had secured his individual place at his second Olympics early on, thanks to his position as eighth in the world. Things were a little more fraught for Anita, gaining her debut Olympics ticket after a strong third place at the World Cup São Paulo in early June elevated her to tenth in the world and gave her Germany’s second individual Paris slot.  

Elite sport and huge precision as a sideline  

The German pair will not be medal favourites when the compete in the French capital. Playing world-class boccia requires a professional level of commitment, and the demands are huge. This precision sport calls for lots of throw repetition, countless training sessions, huge amounts of time and effort, flair with the ball, strong nerves and a steady hand. The best in the world are full professionals who train twice a day for several hours, including technique training, repetition, mental training and physiotherapy. By contrast, the two Germans manage their training workload of four two-hour sessions per week alongside their full-time jobs, Anita as a radiology assistant and Boris as a mechanical engineer at a major industrial company. ‘That is the major difference’, Boris Nicolai explains: ‘The full professionals train for around twice as long as us.’

From preliminary round to medal hopes 

Anita Raguwaran and Boris Nicolai’s goal for Paris is to get through the preliminary round, which is the same as reaching the quarter finals. With a bit of luck in the pool draw, they will have a good chance of placing higher. The world’s elite are very tightly bunched. Anita gained a bronze medal at the world cup in Brazil in June, whilst Boris showed at his trial run in Taipei that he can absolutely keep pace with the best. Boris Nicolai would like to ‘finish in the top eight, and then take things one game at a time to see if I can get any further’.  

Pre-camp preparations 

From 9 to 13 August, Boris and Anita completed an intense training camp at the Sportcampus in Saarbrücken with their coaches and the national team’s support staff. They were supported by Samuel Andrejčík, who served as a sparring partner and advisor. This reigning Tokyo gold medallist and hugely experienced, multi-time boccia champion from Czechia was once again able to prepare and hone our two athletes to the highest level for Paris. Armed with practical and tactical tips as well as countless high-end training games together, the two Saarland players are well equipped for their Paris mission. Well-prepared boccia courts and excellent accommodation ensured that the athletes could complete optimum preparations for the Olympics. 

Journeying to Paris  

The athletes are travelling to Paris by bus. From 24 to 27 August, Boris and Anita have one training session per day and the opportunity to explore the Paralympic village, the ‘South Paris Arena 1’ event venue, and the German house. The opening ceremony is on the Champs Elysees on the evening of 28 August, and both athletes are looking forward to taking part in this magnificent extravaganza.  

The individual competitions for the BC4 class will take place from 29 August to 2 September. Both German players have three group games in their respective groups – one per day until 31 August. Then come the knockout games, with the exact times still to be announced.  

We wish Anita Raguwaran and Boris Nicolai a lot of success and exciting one of a kind moments at the Paris Games.