Theo Bos (Netherlands) celebrates his win (Image credit: Mike Gladu)
There is one word synonymous with the name Theo Bos, and that word is speed. Bos, a three-time World Champion in the sprint owns the record for the flying lap, which he set in Moscow last year, but after his dream of Olympic gold was denied in 2004 by Australian Ryan Bayley, Bos is on track to get revenge in Beijing next year. Brian Crawford of Cycling NSW caught up with Bos as he was training in Sydney.
Dutchman Theo Bos received a gift from his parents. Clearly, his DNA is endowed with a secret code for unleashing a stunning turn of speed from a bicycle, and he's made good use out of that gift. The 24 year-old went far beyond his older brother Jan's two world championships in speed skating, but has yet to match Jan's two Olympic medals.
In 2004, Theo Bos was set to contend for Olympic gold in the sprint in Athens. After taking a somewhat controversial sprint world championship by defeating Ryan Bayley in the semi-finals, where Bayley protested a move by Bos to no avail, the pair had a rematch in Athens.
Forced to lead in the third and final race, Bos tried to open a gap with an early jump, but the move backfired and Bayley caught and passed the 21 year-old Bos to take the gold medal. Since then, Bos has led a life of single-minded devotion to his sport in preparation for Beijing. He's gone on to world titles in the kilometre time trial (2005), keirin (2006) and sprint (2006, 2007), as well as numerous World Cup titles and European championships.
Yet, every time Bos and Bayley meet on the boards, it's hard not to think about that day in August and read a rivalry into the race. "I think it's because of the Olympics (2004), and every time we race together it's a more loaded race than other races especially for the crown," explained Bos. "But I just try to focus on myself and during these races and try to improve myself and not to look so much to other races."
