Netherlands skeleton star Kimberley Bos: "My journey proves that you can succeed from a smaller nation"
In an exclusive interview with Olympics.com, the first Dutch skeleton Olympic bronze medallist ever reveals how she overcame negative thoughts at Beijing 2022, and how being from a smaller nation can be an advantage.
Skeleton
Kimberley Bos is a winter sport pioneer in the Netherlands.
Hailing from the world’s top speed skating nation - which has landed an impressive 48 Olympic golds and 133 medals overall - the Ede-born athlete created history at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 when she won her nation their first medal in skeleton.
She was, in fact, the only Dutch skeleton athlete at both the PyeongChang 2018 and Beijing 2022 Games, and succeeded despite going up against countries with more pedigree and a significantly larger budget.
“My Olympic medal really is a big deal in winter sports in the Netherlands, which I’m still coming to terms with,” Bos, 30, told Olympics.com
“When I get introduced to people they talk like I’m a legend, but I feel like I’m just doing my thing.
“I’m proud because I can use this momentum for the sport and to show other people that if you want something and you work hard for it, you can achieve your goals. Even if nobody believes that you can at the start, along the way you can find people that can support you.”
Kimberley Bos of Team Netherlands slides during the Women's Skeleton heats on day seven of Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at National Sliding Centre on February 11, 2022 in Yanqing, China.
Why Kimberley Bos switched to skeleton
The Netherlands is a predominantly flat country, explaining its natural preference for ice-based winter sports like speed skating, figure skating, and curling.
But even those winter sports didn’t register on Bos’ radar to begin with.
“I did gymnastics from the age of three and loved it. I did it five times a week and competed within the Netherlands,” she continued.
“Me and my friends ended up at an event where they had a bobsleigh push track, so we tried it out and got an invitation to do a test event where they scout new athletes.
“Coincidentally, I was in the right age range to go to the Innsbruck Winter Youth Olympics in 2012, so I entered the development programme and from the first time I actually drove a bobsleigh, I totally loved it.”
That love translated into results, as Bos drove the two-person sled to bronze at Innsbruck 2012, alongside Mandy Groot.
But despite showing the required skill set to be successful in bobsleigh, it quickly became apparent that Bos’ stature could prevent her from reaching the top of the sport in the senior ranks.
“I stuck with bobsleigh for the next three years before switching sports mostly because I’m a little bit on the small side for bobsleigh. I was a good driver, so the coaches said I would probably be an OK skeleton driver too, and it turned out they were right!
“It’s very common to transfer between the two sports but those skills don’t always transfer. Luckily it worked out for me."
Kimberley Bos was the sole Netherlands skeleton representative at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea.
“I honestly loved skeleton even more than bobsleigh because you’re so close to the ice and you can see it move underneath your face. You can feel the speed when you’re doing well and getting pushed out of the turn. It’s the best feeling in the world.”
“Coming from a gymnastics background, you could say that I’m obsessed with movement of the body. The thing I love about the skeleton is that it combines the physical side of that push, alongside the coordination that you need in order to drive down the track, which is a very delicate and precise skill.
“It’s that balance which attracts me to skeleton, rather than just the speed on its own. Of course, you get a kick from going really fast, it’s been like that from day one and I love that feeling, but I still don’t like roller-coasters because I’m not in control! - Kimberley Bos to Olympics.com
“It’s easier for me to do an individual sport because you have to hold yourself accountable for what you do."
Making history for the Netherlands in skeleton
Typically, Bos dedicated herself to skeleton with relentless hard work and sacrifice, and was rewarded with a silver medal at the junior world championships in 2016 in addition to several regional event wins before stepping up to the World Cup circuit. One year later, she became the first Dutch skeleton athlete ever to compete at the Winter Olympics, at PyeongChang 2018, where she finished eighth.
This impressive performance meant that Bos was allocated national funding for the first time. With it, she brought in her coach, 2008 world champion Kristan Bromley from Great Britain**,** on a permanent basis, as well as hiring former teammate Joska Le Conte as a track coach.
Unsurprisingly, Bos continued to improve and achieved a significant breakthrough at the perfect moment, in the season prior to Beijing 2022.
In a space of just three months, the Dutchwoman won her first World Cup race, her first European title, and in January 2022, became her nation’s first Skeleton World Cup overall winner.
How Kimberley Bos dealt with the weight of expectation at Beijing 2022
Despite having already competed at an Olympics, Bos’ success in the run-up to Beijing 2022 meant that she faced a surprise new hurdle: expectation.
While the media in Korea in 2018 simply wanted to know what it felt like to be the Netherlands’ first skeleton athlete at a Winter Olympics, they now wanted to know how she felt about being one of the favourites.
“It certainly got to me in Beijing,” Bos admitted. “All of a sudden there were eight people after training asking me questions with cameras about my training times and why they weren’t better. I’d never usually paid attention to my training times and now the wrong things were playing on my mind. You have to grow up really fast in this kind of situation.
Bos dealt with these potentially crippling nerves and negative thoughts by talking her feelings through with the people she trusts the most and asking them for advice.
“If they just listened it helped,” she said. “And by the time the race came round it was all good again.”
The Flying Dutchwoman retained her composure in style to land bronze, making history as the Netherlands’ first ever skeleton Olympic medallist.
But the lessons of that moment in her career remain, and Bos now feels better equipped to deal with the mental stress of being an elite athlete.
“Even now when I get overwhelmed mentally, I will sit down and reflect on my past week or month and choices I’ve made to get to where I am right now which helps calm me down.”
Success in sliding sports can often come down to budget.
Take powerhouse Germany, for example, who boast four tracks in their country alone and are usually in the hunt for gold medals in all three events.
But Bos has also seen an upside in her career from this perceived disadvantage.
“Being from a smaller nation has its ups and downs, but one positive is that I’ve had to pave my own path. Because we don’t have a track at home, I’ve always made my own choices regarding where we train, which made me a very well-rounded athlete on the sled.
“That helped me to learn the track very quickly in Beijing, because I’m used to switching tracks every week around the world and I’ve learnt to adapt very quickly.”
Bos believes that the best way for her to inspire others to succeed from smaller nations is through winning.
But while becoming an Olympic champion is her ultimate dream in the sport, she doesn't want to put too much value on the result, rather than the journey.
"Of course, I want to improve upon bronze, but throughout the 10 years i’ve spent in elite sport I’ve learnt that what happens is not always in your control," she said.
"You can have the best race of your life and still not get a medal. I’m not thinking about the medal at this time, because I'm thinking about what I need to do in order to get to the race in the best shape possible. The bar is very high but I’m very confident in my team and plan that we have in place."
Regardless of her future performances, Bos - who also works as a physiotherapist in the off season - has already proved to others from non-traditional sliding nations that they can be successful too if they have the right mindset.
Following her success in the People’s Republic of China, several new athletes joined the Dutch skeleton programme, with a view to competing at the Winter Youth Olympic Games Gangwon 2024, and the Winter Olympics Milano-Cortina 2026.
“With any luck, these athletes will come through and we can compete in the team event!” she said.
“Togther, we are proving that unlike alpine skiing, skeleton is one of those winter sports that you can do very well even if you have no facilities in your country. You can start later in life and compete alongside your studies.
“I think my journey proves that you can succeed from a smaller nation. And that goes for anything in life, not just sport. As long as you advocate for yourself and work hard, you’ll find a way."