Samantha Bosco

Started: She first got on a bike at age six, riding to and from school in Anchorage, AK, United States of America, with her father. "It was six miles one way. And I just fell in love with it." She then joined the Arctic Bicycle Club. "I was about nine years old when I was going through the trails in one race and I just thought, 'I want to do this for a living'. This is my dream. I want to be a professional mountain biker, travel the world, and do what I'm doing right now all over the place." After a break from the sport, she later took up Para cycling in 2012. (rocktape.com, 25 Jul 2016; gofundme.com, 16 Jul 2013; claremont-courier.com, 04 Jul 2024) Reason: At age 11 she underwent limb-lengthening surgery to correct a bowed shinbone, but complications from the surgery resulted in permanent damage to her right leg. "I didn't think I'd ever get to ride a bike again." She took up rowing as part of her rehabilitation and received a scholarship to the University of Central Florida where she competed in the sport until severe knee pain forced her to retire. "I kind of spiraled because when you're an athlete your whole life in some form or another, to not get to do that anymore - I just lost the foundation I was standing on. So my dad found a way to get me on a bike again. He found a pedal system where I could build up my shoe on my right side so that when I'm on a bike, [my legs are] basically even length. I went for a bike ride, and it felt like coming home." She began training and after two years of racing in non-Para competitions, she switched to Para cycling. (gofundme.com, 16 Jul 2013) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (sambosco.com, 19 Nov 2023; claremont-courier.com, 04 Jul 2024; usparacycling.org, 07 Jul 2024) Additional Info: MISSING TOKYO FUELS PARIS DESIRE She missed the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo as a result of injuries sustained in a crash during a group training session in 2021. "It was a long arduous process to have a new normal. If I walked out and saw my bike I started crying. I couldn't watch any of the [2020] summer Games, Olympic or Paralympic. I was at such a high moment and had such high hopes and excitement for Tokyo that to fall that low, it was hard." She later got the image of a hummingbird surrounded by blue flowers tattooed on her inner right forearm after seeing the bird in her garden while rehabilitating from her injuries. "I'm just looking at the hummingbird like, wow, you're so small in this big world, but you're there humming away and thriving. It stopped me and I thought, 'I can do this'. I did some research and hummingbirds symbolise that challenging times are over, and joy and good things are coming. I took that to heart. Like, yeah, I'm okay. I'll get through this. Keep moving forward. Now, I look at Paris [2024 Paralympic Games] as, I want a shot to show how much better I am because of the injury - how much better I am as an athlete, as a person, as all of the things. And I want Paris to be my chance to just enjoy that I'm still here getting to ride my bike." (claremont-courier.com, 04 Jul 2024) FURTHER EDUCATION She has studied for a master's degree in accounting at DeVry University in the United States of America. (LinkedIn profile, 01 Jan 2018) OTHER ACTIVITIES She and her husband Andrew runs Bosco Bike Fits, a business that helps cyclists to get a better fit on their bikes. She has also volunteered as a mentor for Classroom Champions, a non-profit organisation that aims to inspire students, and has been involved as a mentor for other organisations such as Ready, Set, Gold!, One Revolution and Promise Scholars. (claremont-courier.com, 04 Jul 2024; sambosco.com, 26 Nov 2023; LinkedIn profile, 20 Nov 2023; teamusa.org, 05 Apr 2020; sambosco.com, 26 Nov 2023; boscobikefits.com, 01 Jan 2023)