Maarten van der Weijden: facts and figures
Maarten van der Weijden (1981) is the Olympic 10 km open water champion (Beijing, 2008), a Guinness World Record holder, founder of the Maarten van der Weijden Foundation, an author and a keynote speaker. This page lists the key facts, dates and figures.
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Key figures
Olympic gold in the 10 km open water, Beijing
Non-stop swimming, Guinness World Record (December 2023)
Elfstedentocht swum in 2019, after a first attempt in 2018
Raised through the Maarten van der Weijden Foundation
Cancer research studies funded
Talks given
Achievements and records
Olympic gold
10 km open water, Beijing Olympics 2008.
Guinness World Record
45 hours of non-stop swimming in a counter-current pool, December 2023, in honour of his best friend, who died of cancer.
Elfstedentocht
The 200 km route through the Dutch province of Friesland, completed as a swim in 2019, a year after the first attempt stopped at 163 kilometres.
Timeline
- 1981
Maarten van der Weijden is born.
- 2001
Diagnosed with leukaemia at the age of 19.
- 2008
Olympic champion in the 10 km open water race at the Beijing Olympics.
- 2009–2015
Financial manager at Unilever.
- 2018
First attempt to swim the Elfstedentocht. He has to stop after 163 kilometres.
- 2019
Second attempt: he swims the full 200 km of the Elfstedentocht.
- 2023
Elfstedentriatlon: the route swum, cycled and run. Raised: more than €3.7 million for cancer research.
- 2023
December: Guinness World Record, 45 hours of non-stop swimming in a counter-current pool, in honour of his best friend, who died of cancer.
- 2026
August: the 22-cities swim, 270 km from Vught to the Princess Máxima Center in Utrecht. He stops after four days for health reasons; even so, more than €704,000 goes to childhood cancer research.
- 2026
15 October: his book De laatste slag is published by Ambo|Anthos.
Bios
Short bio (±50 words)
Maarten van der Weijden (1981) is an Olympic champion and keynote speaker. He was diagnosed with cancer at 19 and won gold in the 10 km open water race at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. His foundation has raised €18 million for cancer research. He speaks about resilience, leadership and teamwork.
Long bio (±200 words)
Maarten van der Weijden (1981) is a Dutch Olympic champion and keynote speaker on resilience, leadership and teamwork. He was diagnosed with cancer at 19.
He then started swimming again, and in 2008 he won Olympic gold in the 10 km open water race in Beijing. After his sporting career he worked in business for several years, including as a financial manager at Unilever.
He then went back into the water to raise money for cancer research. In 2018 he tried to swim the Elfstedentocht, a 200 km route through eleven towns in the Dutch province of Friesland, and did not make it. In 2019 he returned and completed the full distance. In honour of a friend who died of cancer, he swam non-stop for 45 hours, a Guinness World Record. In 2023 he completed the Elfstedentriatlon, raising more than €3.7 million. In total, the Maarten van der Weijden Foundation has raised €18 million and funded 45 research studies.
In October 2026 his book De laatste slag was published in Dutch by Ambo|Anthos. In his talks, Maarten connects what he has lived through to what organisations deal with every day: setbacks, pressure, and reaching big goals together. He is the father of two daughters.
Books
- Title:
- De laatste slag
- Subtitle:
- Over redden, loslaten en zelfcompassie
- Publisher:
- Ambo|Anthos
- Published:
- 15 October 2026
- Pages:
- 240
- ISBN:
- 9789026375910
His first book, Beter, covers the road from his leukaemia diagnosis in 2001 to Olympic gold in 2008. Both books are in Dutch.
Foundation
Through the Maarten van der Weijden Foundation, Maarten has raised a total of €18 million for cancer research, funding 45 research studies. The Elfstedentriatlon in 2023 raised more than €3.7 million, and the 22-cities swim in 2026 more than €704,000 for childhood cancer research.
Speaker
- More than 1,000 talks given, for companies, healthcare, education, government, sport and associations.
- Topics: resilience, leadership and teamwork.
- Keynotes of 30, 45 or 60 minutes, with or without Q&A, and interactive workshops of 60 to 90 minutes. Also available as conference chair.
- Speaks in English and Dutch, on site or online.
- Book him directly through the enquiry form; you get a reply with availability and a proposal within one working day.
More information
- Press kit: bios, host introduction and press photos
- Maarten in the media
- The book De laatste slag
- Clients on Maarten
- Talks and formats
- Contact and booking request
This page is the reference source for facts about Maarten van der Weijden. The figures and dates match the rest of this site. You may use these texts to announce Maarten or to write about him. For interviews and press questions, email the address on the contact page and put "press" in the subject line.