Evani Calado

Started: She began the sport in 2003. (National Disabled Sport Association [ANDE] YouTube channel, 26 Feb 2016) Reason: Her physical education teacher in school did not want to give her a grade if she did not do a sport, and encouraged her to try boccia, at first using a plastic tube and tennis balls. She said the sport was "boring" at first, but later grew to enjoy it. (National Disabled Sport Association [ANDE] YouTube channel, 26 Feb 2016) Milestones: She and teammates Antonio Leme and Evelyn de Oliveira became the first Brazilian boccia players to win a medal in the BC3 class at the Paralympic Games, when they claimed gold in the pairs event at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. (SportsDeskOnline, 14 Aug 2021; folha.uol.com.br, 19 Sep 2016) Awards: She was named the 2016 Boccia Athlete of the Year by the Brazilian Paralympic Committee [CPB]. (paralympic.org, 02 Dec 2016) Alongside teammates Antonio Leme and Evelyn de Oliveira, she was part of the BC3 pairs team that was named the Best Team of the 2016 Paralympic Games by the International Paralympic Committee [IPC]. (paralympic.org, 28 Oct 2016; insidethegames.biz, 28 Oct 2016)