Operation ends Olympic hopes for Bos

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Rabobank sprinter Theo Bos was aiming to return to the track for the 2012 Olympic Games in London, but now must give up those ambitions to undergo surgery on a blood vessel in his leg, his team announced today on its website, Rabosport.nl.

Bos, a former star in track sprinting, won multiple world titles in the discipline - taking a historic triple in the keirin, kilo and individual sprint in 2006. He was also a silver medalist in the 2004 Olympic Games in the sprint, but after failing to make the medals in Beijing in 2008, he turned to the road and endurance-based track events.

After taking wins this year in the Tour of Oman, Tour of Denmark and Dutch Food Valley Classic, Bos was considering competing in the track Omnium over the winter in a bid to make the Dutch Olympic team.

However, the upcoming operation to straighten a kink in his iliac artery, which takes place on November 14, will keep Bos completely immobile for six weeks, with no clear date set for a return to training. This rules out any participation in the World Cups which are essential for qualification for the world championships and Olympic Games.

"For me, it's obviously a disappointment, for I felt I was making progress," said Bos. "Because of the long rehabilitation, I decided to abandon my Olympic ambitions on track. It is with a heavy heart, but I have to be realistic."

The Rabobank team could not estimate when Bos would be allowed back to competition.