Claire Taggart: Larne star hailed as ‘exceptional’ as she calls time on boccia career that included World Championship success
Larne’s Claire Taggart has been hailed as an “exceptionally talented player” after announcing her retirement from a boccia career that included World Championship success.
The three-time Paralympian has made the decision after 11 years representing Great Britain. The 30-year-old competed at the Rio, Tokyo and Paris Paralympic Games and won the World Championships in 2022.
But Claire – who was very open about struggling with the weight of expectation in the lead up to Paris - said: “After a lot of soul searching and struggling with my mental health for years, I have made the decision to retire from boccia.
"Elite sport is somewhat extraordinary in nature - travelling the world, competing on the biggest stages and making friends with your rivals all over the globe.
“However, there are other aspects – the overwhelming pressure to perform, the amount of travel and time away from home, but mostly - the overarching singular hyperfocus on one thing – boccia. Being an elite athlete means experiencing the extremes of emotions, the difficulty of separating your performance from your self-worth, and the difficulty of knowing when it’s time to stop.”
Between 2021 and 2024, Claire won a medal at every single event she entered, before she finished fourth in Paris. As part of the BC1/2 Team, she also claimed a silver medal at the World Championships in 2022 alongside David Smith OBE and Will Hipwell.
“I used to wake up every day excited to go to training, to work ridiculously hard and to sacrifice everything in the pursuit of medals,” explained Claire. “I don’t feel that way anymore.
"I’ve spent the last nine months working on my mental health, with the support of my parents, medical professionals and close friends. With the right support and therapy, I am starting to feel better than I have in years, with real ambitions and life goals away from a boccia court.”
Mental Health
Explaining that she has struggled with her mental health since she was a teenager, she encouraged others in a similar situation to reach out for support and for friends and family to check in others.
She said: “I would encourage people to check in with their friends, colleagues, family and neighbours. Say that you’ve noticed they aren’t themselves and would they like to talk. You might help someone to realise that they don’t have to struggle alone.
“I am so grateful to have gained so many friends throughout my 11 years at Boccia UK. I am also grateful of the support I have received from my coach Glynn, who has helped me through the whirlwind years of 2021-2024.
"Without my parents, I would have achieved nothing. With their dedication and support, I was able to train, travel and compete, and I think it’s about time they had an actual retirement.” Claire also thanked the British Elite Athletes Association (BEAA) for their unwavering support and guidance over the last five months.”
Boccia UK performance director Greg Baker said: “Claire is an exceptionally talented boccia player and has achieved so much in her career. To represent Great Britain at three Paralympic Games, become World Champion, and amass medals from World Cups in the way she has is really incredible.
"We will all miss her but we fully understand Claire’s ambitions to navigate a new future and we wish her well.
"We also admire Claire’s honesty in sharing her mental health struggles and we would encourage anyone that is struggling to seek support, which is available through the Athlete Medical Scheme as part of the World Class Programme. We will continue to work closely with BEAA, UK Sport and ParalympicsGB to ensure athletes continue to have access to this support.”
Glynn Tromans – Boccia UK performance coach, and personal coach to Claire since Tokyo 2021, commented: “I have loved working with Claire. She is always engaging, with a sharp, cutting wit and honesty that always puts a smile on my face.
"Our differing perspectives on life gave us balance and brought huge success on the field of play. Claire has made many friends around the world, and like me, they will all miss her on the boccia court.”
Claire has also announced the launch of her own business, Think Accessible, which is a consultancy working primarily with live music venues and festivals to make the industry more accessible to people within Deaf, disabled and neurodiverse communities.