Lecture by Maarten van der Weijden

Speaker & swimmer

Maarten van der Weijden

Speaker Maarten van der Weijden is a former Olympic gold medalist in the 10 km open water swimming (Beijing 2008) and one of the Netherlands' most respected motivational speakers. After being declared cured of acute leukemia in 2001, he returned to the top and ultimately won Olympic gold and world championship titles. With his story of recovery, perseverance, vitality, and focus, he manages to touch and inspire audiences and organizations.

Rate indication: Price on request
Available for booking as: Speaker
Languages: Dutch English

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About Maarten van der Weijden

Maarten grew up as a talented swimmer and was a multiple Dutch champion in long distance swimming from 1998 to 2000. After returning from illness, he won international gold in the 25 km in Seville and in the 10 km at the Olympic Games. He was later named Sportsman of the Year 2008 and inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame. His career shows how closely mental and physical strength are connected, and how resilience can sometimes be stronger than talent alone.

Maarten van der Weijden as a Speaker

Maarten is a highly sought after speaker on themes such as mental resilience, leadership and teamwork. He takes the audience into his experiences with illness, recovery and elite sport, and offers insight into how ambition can be turned into impact. He shares how he raised millions for cancer research through his Foundation by swimming distances of up to 200 km, inspiring organisations to keep going even when something seems impossible. His style is open, humorous and personal, with one clear message: “Dare to fail, dare to start again.”

Book Maarten van der Weijden through Het Sprekershuys

Maarten can be booked as a speaker for events about perseverance, health, leadership, collaboration and social impact. He is suitable for healthcare and medical conferences, sports events, corporate inspiration sessions and fundraising events. Under the heading “Sessions”, you will find more information about his lecture.

Themes

Sessions

In his presentations, speaker Maarten van der Weijden poses the question of whether success is achievable and if one can exert control over it. He encourages reflection on life, strengths and weaknesses, and how personal and professional goals can be achieved. Maarten also gives presentations on achieving consistent and sustainable success. How do you ensure that you become successful? What are the 'secrets'? He draws clear parallels from the sports world to the business world. Thanks to his role at Unilever, he can reinforce this connection based on his own experiences. He delivers his lectures in an inspiring, entertaining, and personal manner.