Samantha Bosco
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 18, 1987 Anchorage, Alaska, US |
| Education | 2017, Communications, DeVry University |
| Height | 5'8 |
| Weight | 140 |
| Sport | |
| Country |  United States |
| Sport | Paralympic athletics |
| Disability | Genu varum |
| Disability class | C5 |
Medal record | |
Samantha Bosco (nee Heinrich; February 18, 1987) is an American Paralympic athlete. She competed in Cycling at the 2016 Summer Paralympics, winning two bronze medals.
Early life and education
Bosco was born on February 18, 1987, in Anchorage, Alaska with a bowed tibia in her right leg.[1] She began cycling with her father at the age of seven but surgery to lengthen her leg at the age of 11 left her with crutches, atrophied muscles, and a surgically stunted left leg.[1][2] As she was unable to cycle, Bosco began rowing and earned a full athletic scholarship to the University of Central Florida. However, the chronic injury forced her to retire from the sport in her junior year.[3] While she was rowing, Bosco developed an eating disorder and struggled to maintain her metabolism upon starting para-cycling.[4] Bosco eventually graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications from DeVry University.[3]
Career
Upon retiring from rowing, Bosco was encouraged to try para-cycling, and she received a C5 classification. Her first race was in Greenville, South Carolina and she chose to pursue the sport after earning a gold medal in the women’s C-5 road race and a silver medal in the time trial.[5] Once she qualified for the 2016 Summer Paralympics, Bosco began a GoFundMe to raise $7,500 for her trip.[6]
In the 2016 Summer Paralympics, Bosco earned two bronze medals; one in the C5 road time trial and another in the C5 individual pursuit.[1] She also competed at the 2019 Parapan American Games where she won medals in the women’s 500-meter time trial C1-5, women’s 3,000m pursuit C4-5, and women’s time trial C1-5.[7]
While training to qualify for the 2020 Summer Paralympics, Bosco worked on her master's degree in accounting and co-ran Bosco Bike Fits with her husband.[7] Once the Paralympics were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she accepted a marketing position for Angel City Sports, an organization started by fellow Paralympic athlete Ezra Frech for athletes with disabilities.[8] She also continued to volunteer as a mentor for Classroom Champions, a nonprofit organization cofounded by retired Olympic bobsledder Steve Mesler.[9] In May 2021, Bosco and teammate Clara Brown competed at the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships, where she won the women’s C4 70km race in 1:49:53.[10]
References
- ^ a b c "SAMANTHA BOSCO". teamusa.org. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
- ^ Bosco, Sam (September 20, 2017). "CLIPPED IN: A PARACYCLIST'S JOURNEY". yoocanfind.com. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
- ^ a b "Samantha Bosco". one-revolution.org. Archived from the original on January 18, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
- ^ Hurford, Molly (September 23, 2020). "How Paralympian Samantha Bosco Fuels to Power Her Rides". bicycling.com. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
- ^ Royse, Dave (May 18, 2015). "QUICK RISE IN PARALYMPIC CYCLING HAS HEINRICH ENJOYING THE RIDE". teamusa.org. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
- ^ "Cyclist readies for Paralympics, with help from friends". Claremont Courier. July 28, 2016. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
- ^ a b Zhang, Melissa (August 30, 2019). "CYCLIST SAM BOSCO EARNS THIRD MEDAL IN LIMA AS SHE JUGGLES WORK, SCHOOL AND TRAINING BACK HOME". teamusa.org. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
- ^ "USA's Sam Bosco rekindles love for Para cycling". paralympic.org. August 12, 2020. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
- ^ "With Students Stuck At Home, Classroom Champions Brings Athletes Into Their Living Rooms". classroomchampions.org. March 18, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
- ^ Pavitt, Michael (May 9, 2021). "Brown and Bosco earn victories as UCI Para-cycling World Cup in Ostend concludes". insidethegames.com. Retrieved May 21, 2021.