Bosco snags Top 4 finish on 2nd day of road races in Paris
CLICHY-SOUS-BOIS — In a display of grit and willpower, Team USA athletes stayed within reach of the lead group throughout an exhilarating men’s and women’s C4-5 road race. With riders pushing their limits, Team USA showcased their ability to hold their own against some of the sport’s finest competitors.
Three-time Paralympic medalist Samantha Bosco (Claremont, Calif.) stayed in the thick of action and within striking distance of distinguished female Paralympic cyclists, including Great Britain’s now 30-time Paralympic champion Sarah Storey. Bosco kept the pressure on consistently throughout the race, trailing only in the final two laps.
“I’m really happy and proud with how I rode today. I read the race well and made the winning break with literal legends in Para-cycling, and two other really strong, fast women, and stayed as long as I could.” Bosco said. “At the end of the day, I just didn’t have as good of legs as they did, and I couldn’t hold wheels when there was an attack on the climb.”
The road race marked Bosco’s final event at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, but she keeps a steady eye on the future, aiming for a Paralympic return on her home turf.
“I’m happy to come home with a gold medal in the time trial and a really good performance in the road race. Those are motivating me for podium sights in LA,” Bosco said.
Teenage rising star and Paris 2024 Paralympic bronze medalist Elouan Gardon (Acme, Wash.) made an impressive showing in his first Paralympic road race, finishing 7th behind the highly decorated Kevin le Cunff of France and Yehor Dementyev of Ukraine, who took home the top two titles of the race.
“I gave it my all,” Gardon said. “The competition was really high. The best riders from fours [C4] and fives [C5] are here, they raced hard and made it a good race.”
As Gardon cuts his teeth in elite cycling competing against the top echelon of riders, he’s poised to emerge as a formidable contender in both road and track events.
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Team USA Results
Samantha Bosco: 4th, road race women’s C4-5
Elouan Gardon: 7th, road race women’s C4-5
Shawn Morelli: 14th, road race women’s C4-5.
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