Olympics: Dutch gold in open water 10 km

Maths student Maarten van der Weijden, who was diagnosed with acute leukaemia in 2001, has won the gold medal in the 10 km open water event.


Van der Weijden completed the swim in 1 hour 51 minutes and 51.6 seconds – just 1.5 seconds ahead of Britain’s David Davis.
World champion in the 25 km, Van der Weijden spends much of his time raising money for cancer awareness. He has undergone four bouts of chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant.
‘That guy is an absolute legend,’ Davies said of the Dutchman to the BBC. ‘He’s a great guy. He’s obviously been to the depths in his personal life and to come back is a great story.’

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