Olympic champion speaker: Maarten van der Weijden
Maarten van der Weijden is an Olympic champion and speaker: he won gold in the 10 km open water at Beijing 2008 after being diagnosed with leukaemia at 19, and later swam the Elfstedentocht and 45 hours non-stop for a Guinness World Record. As an athlete turned speaker he has given more than 1,000 talks, keynotes of 30 to 60 minutes on resilience, leadership and teamwork.
No obligation · a tailored proposal within one working day
Talks given, for companies, healthcare, education and government
Olympic gold in the 10 km open water, Beijing
Swam the Elfstedentocht, in 2019
Raised for cancer research, 45 studies funded
Who it is for
You book an Olympic champion as a speaker when you want a room to hear how top performance really comes about. Not as a hero's tale, but with the doubt, the bad luck and the choices that came with it. Maarten van der Weijden won Olympic gold in the 10 km open water at Beijing in 2008. Seven years earlier he was in hospital with leukaemia.
He speaks for companies, care organisations, schools, government bodies and sports organisations. As an athlete turned speaker he fits moments when an organisation sets a goal that is a long way off, or has just come through a setback.
A good fit for:
conferences and kick-offs that set out a big goal
staff days and annual meetings
sports clubs, sports awards nights and sporting events
events around the Olympic Games
What your audience takes away
A big goal in small steps
When you are working towards Olympic gold, you cannot see the whole road. Maarten looked at the next training session, and later at the next hour in the water. That is how he makes a goal that seems too big manageable.
Preparation is half the work
At the Games one race decides everything, but that race is the result of years of getting the details right. Maarten explains what that means in practice, and what you can take from it into a project or a quarter.
Knowing when to stop
In 2018 Maarten stopped his first Elfstedentocht swim after 163 kilometres. A year later he swam the full 200 kilometres. Stopping was not failure, it was what made the second attempt possible.
Success is also luck
Maarten says it was no achievement that his treatment worked, but luck. Once you see success that way, you become kinder about what does not work out, in yourself and in others.
No one wins a medal alone
Behind the Elfstedentocht stood a team of specialists and hundreds of volunteers. Elite sport shows how much a performance depends on the people around it.
The story behind it
Maarten van der Weijden was a promising swimmer when he was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2001, at 19. After his treatment he started swimming again. In 2008 he became Olympic champion in the 10 km open water at Beijing.
After his sporting career he worked as a finance manager at Unilever from 2009 to 2015. He then put his swimming to work for cancer research. Through his foundation he has raised €18 million in total, funding 45 cancer research studies. In 2019 he swam the Elfstedentocht, in 2023 he completed the Elfstedentriatlon, and in December 2023 he swam 45 hours non-stop in a counter-current pool, a Guinness World Record, in honour of his best friend who died of cancer.
In his book De laatste slag (Ambo|Anthos, 2026) he writes about what lay behind those achievements: loss, pain and failure. He brings that honesty on stage. The audience does not hear an Olympic champion who had all the answers, but someone who often did not and kept going anyway.
What the talk looks like
Beforehand you have a short call with Maarten about your audience and the goal of your event. He picks the moments from his sporting career that fit your theme, and links them to resilience, leadership or teamwork.
A keynote lasts 30, 45 or 60 minutes, with or without Q&A. In an interactive workshop of 60 to 90 minutes participants work on it themselves. Maarten speaks in English and Dutch, on site or online. All formats are on lectures; more about his background is in the facts.
Last checked on
Maarten on setting goals
Formats
Every session is prepared with you in advance, around your organisation, your audience and the goal of the day.
| Format | Length | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Keynote | 30, 45 or 60 minutes | The story, the lessons, and what they mean for your organisation. |
| Keynote with Q&A | 45 to 75 minutes | A keynote followed by questions from the audience, with or without a moderator. |
| Interactive workshop | 60 to 90 minutes | Hands-on work with a smaller group on goals, setbacks and teamwork. |
| Event host | Half day or full day | Maarten hosts your programme: he opens, links the speakers and keeps the day on track. |
- Language:
- Dutch and English
- Location:
- On site or online
- For:
- Companies · Healthcare · Education · Government · Sport · Associations
Feedback
De zaal was laaiend enthousiast! De link met het bedrijf Unilever en ons jaar-doel werd meerdere keren herhaald in de lezing en dat maakte het super sterk. Van meerdere mensen gehoord dat ze dit een van de beste sprekers in tijden vonden.
Petra BauerUnilever Food Solutions★★★★★ 5/5 Maarten was briljant. Eén van de beste keynotes, zoniet de beste, die ik ooit zag.
Yannick Dillen★★★★★ 5/5
Book Maarten directly
You talk to Maarten himself, from the first question until after the talk. That way his story fits what is going on in your organisation.
A personal intake call
You discuss your audience, your goal and what is going on right now directly with Maarten.
A proposal within one working day
You quickly receive a concrete, tailored proposal with format, length and fee.
Tailored to your audience
Examples and emphasis fit your sector and the theme of the day.
Short lines
Your request reaches Maarten directly and he replies himself.
Frequently asked questions
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