Papworth Everard boccia star Will Hipwell has got his season off to a flying start, winning an individual and team silver medal at the World Boccia Zagreb Challenger 2023.

The 35-year-old won his first-ever individual medal at the international event and earned himself all-important qualification points ahead of the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games.

Strong performances from Hipwell helped Great Britain to the top of the medal table in Croatia, winning more medals and more gold medals than any other nation.

The Hunts Post: Boccia is a Paralympic sport, related to Bowls, in which the competitors throw, kick or use a ramp to propel a ball onto the court with the aim of getting closest to a 'jack' ball. Boccia is a Paralympic sport, related to Bowls, in which the competitors throw, kick or use a ramp to propel a ball onto the court with the aim of getting closest to a 'jack' ball. (Image: Boccia UK)

The Paralympian only narrowly lost out on an individual goal medal, just losing in a tiebreak battle against France's Faycal Megueni.

In the team event, alongside David Smith OBE and Claire Taggart, the trio were beaten to gold by Portugal.

READ MORE: Papworth Everard's Will Hipwell takes gold at boccia World Cup

Greg Baker, Boccia UK Performance Director, says the results in Zagreb bode well for the countdown to Paris: "It's been a fantastic tournament so far and sets us up well ahead of the Montreal World Cup in April.

"To win six medals here against nations like Portugal and Brazil means that everything's moving in the right direction."

The Montreal Boccia World Cup is set to begin on April 23 and finish on May 1.