Speaker and top athlete
We know Maarten as that big, bald giant with an extraordinary life story. The man who was lucky enough to be cured of cancer and then won the Olympics. He is now 43 years old and has two beautiful daughters together with Daisy. In recent years, he swam together millions with his own Foundation, funding 45 cancer research projects. Maarten takes you to the corners of his life. He tells dry, funny and vulnerable stories about the moments in his life that made him who he is. How his boundless mental strength enabled him to achieve what he has achieved, both in his sport and in his life afterwards. And how he was able to reach so many others with that. A lecture from Maarten provides inspiration to get the best out of your life, your team, or your organization. Not to give up. Or sometimes, to dare to give up. To try again afterwards. A lecture by Maarten is like an exciting book. You want to know how it ends, but at the same time you don't want him to stop!
What makes Maarten unique?
A lecture from Maarten is like a theater show, captivating from the first to the last minute.
Maarten quit top sports after winning his gold medal. But just under a decade later, he decided to put his swim trunks back on and use his talent to start raising money for cancer research. With superhuman feats that rocked the country. He set up his own foundation, the Maarten van der Weijden Foundation, and decided to swim the Elfstedentocht. When he didn't succeed, he tried again. And even after he did make it, it wasn't enough and he decided to swim, bike and walk the tour back-to-back. With his achievements, he raised XX million euros with which he funded no less than 45 cancer research and projects. An inspiring story about adversity, achievement, building an organization and getting involved in your goal and eventually even getting an entire country excited!
