Boccia player Alison Levine 'can't wait' to carry Canadian flag to close Parapan Am Games

Alison Levine will bring home two gold medals from her third Parapan Am Games, plus the honour of carrying the Canadian flag into the closing ceremony Sunday evening in Santiago, Chile.

"I never in a million years thought of this moment," the boccia player from Montreal said in a statement released by the Canadian Paralympic Committee. "I'm shocked, everyone who has carried that flag has been selected for a reason, and to just feel like I was selected for a reason as well is so amazing."

Levine, who is ranked third in the world, began the week with her first-ever individual podium finish at the Games, defeating world No. 1 Leidy Chica Chica in the women's BC4 final.

The two-time Paralympian went on to win gold in BC4 pairs alongside Iulian Ciobanu, upgrading the silver (Toronto 2015) and bronze (Lima 2019) from previous Parapan Am appearances.

With the victory, the 33-year-old and Ciobanu also earned a quota spot for Canada in the event for next summer's Paralympic Games in Paris.

"This is going to be a cumulation of this year, a cumulation of the 10 years of my boccia journey," Levine said of the closing ceremony, which begins at 7 p.m. ET and will be streamed live on CBCSports.ca, the CBC Sports app and CBC Gem. "I can't wait, and I know it's going to be so awesome."

Para cyclist Shelley Gautier and wheelchair tennis player Rob Shaw carried the flag for Canada in the opening ceremony.

Josh Vander Vies, Canada's co-chef de mission for these Games in Santiago, was "thrilled" to announce Levine as the team's flag-bearer, adding she reached a new pinnacle in boccia after leading the way for several years.

Alison Levine reflects on her time in <a