Toni Bou, injured at the start of the season, thought he would not achieve his goal

Toni Bou began the season with a damaged right shoulder and feared his pursuit of a 40th world title would end in surgery. “At that moment I thought I would not achieve it,” the Spanish rider said in an interview with EFE after securing the championship in the Netherlands.

The opening three months proved difficult. Bou said he relied more on his results and past record than on what he felt during training, while managing pain in a shoulder that had already been damaged since 2016. He still lacked the riding position he wanted, but his condition improved significantly.

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At that moment I thought I would not achieve it.

As the pain became more controlled, Bou said he started enjoying training again. The injury hurt more during races than in practice, but that improvement restored his belief that he could fight for the title.

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I felt very proud.

Bou, who has won 40 world championships, including 20 outdoors and 20 indoors, said his greatest source of pride was not simply the number of victories. He highlighted the consistency, discipline and effort required to compete at the highest level for 20 years while winning two titles each season.

He was also moved by congratulations from athletes including Andrés Iniesta, Pep Guardiola, Carlos Sainz, Jorge Prado, Jeffrey Herlings and Marc Márquez. A video assembled by his team brought together messages from friends and sporting figures he admired. “It was one of the most beautiful things when I finished, being able to see the video of so many friends and idols congratulating me,” Bou said.

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It was one of the most beautiful things when I finished, being able to see the video of so many friends and idols congratulating me.