Monique van der Vorst

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Monique van der Vorst (born November 20, 1984 in Gouda ) is a Dutch woman who celebrated numerous successes as a Paralympic athlete and then switched to road cycling . At the beginning of 2012, doubts arose about her disability.

Sports career

Paralympic athlete

Monique van der Vorst was dependent on a wheelchair from 1998 after her left leg paralyzed and her right knee could no longer be moved completely. During her rehabilitation, van der Vorst began to ride a handbike . In spring 2000 she took part in her first race and won.

In 2001 more races followed and in the same year van der Vorst became European champion in road racing and in the time evaluation. In 2001 she won the European Handcycling Competition (EHC) for the first time . In 2002 she took part in the World Cup in Germany and achieved a victory in the road race and a silver medal in the time evaluation. Furthermore, in 2002 and 2003, she won her second and third victory at the European Handcycling Competition . She was able to defend her European title in road racing and in the time classification at the 2003 European Championship in the Czech Republic . In 2004 van der Vorst succeeded again in becoming world champion. In addition to this victory at the World Championship in Switzerland , she was the fourth time winner of the European Handcycling Competition . In 2005 she achieved her fifth victory at the European Handcycling Competition , various victories in road racing and time trial at the European Championship in the Netherlands and set a new world record in the marathon discipline with a time of 1:15:24. In the following years Monique van der Vorst was able to continue her success. At the 2006 World Championships in Switzerland, she was first in the road race and second in the time trial. In addition, she participated in various cycling events, such as the Tour of Australia in 2006 and the 2007 marathons in Rome , Rosenau and Bonn and the Korschenbroich City Run .

On May 2, 2008, van der Vorst was involved in a car accident that left her with whiplash . The six-month rehabilitation prevented her from participating in the World Championships in Bordeaux . Nevertheless, she was able to qualify for participation in the 2008 Paralympic Games and win two silver medals in Beijing . At the Marathon of Miami she set a new personal best with a time of 1:14:50 hours.

During training, Monique van der Vorst and her training partner were hit by a car on April 20, 2009 in Tampa . She suffered another whiplash and a spinal cord injury . After a further convalescence , she was able to build on her sporting successes in 2009 and won the Ironman Hawaii World Championship as a para-triathlete . This earned her the election of 2009 Disabled Athlete of the Year . In 2010 she was again involved in an accident. Thanks to this, van der Vorst was suddenly able to move her legs again. After several months in the hospital and subsequent rehabilitation, she announced on her website on November 20, 2010 that she was able to walk again without help.

Cyclist

After training in running and cycling, Monique van der Vorst signed a contract as a cyclist with the Rabobank Cycling Team for 2012.

In March 2012, doubts arose as to whether the athlete had really ever suffered from a physical disability. She told a Dutch newspaper that the problems were "on the head".

On July 1, 2012, the Rabobank team separated again from the athlete. This step was justified with the "advice of doctors".

Private matters and honors

Van der Vorst currently lives in Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel and studies at the Free University in Amsterdam . In recognition of her sporting achievements, she was awarded the Medal of Honor in her hometown of Nieuwerkerk aan den Ijssel . Furthermore, the Monique van der Vorstplein square was also named after her here.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Rabobank Women's team signs miracle athlete Monique van der Vorst. In: Cycling News. November 22, 2011, accessed May 28, 2014 .
  2. ↑ a b Paralyzed triathlete can walk again. In: 20 minutes . December 24, 2010, accessed May 28, 2014 .
  3. ↑ a b Ralph Schick: Hawaii winner Monique van de Vorst can run again. In: Triathlon.de. November 21, 2010, accessed May 20, 2014 .
  4. ↑ "Miracle Healing" was a hoax. In: RP Online. April 1, 2012, accessed May 28, 2014 .
  5. ↑ Rabobank dismisses former paraplegics van der Vorst. In: Radsport-news.com. June 28, 2012, accessed May 28, 2014 .

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Vorst, Monique van der
BRIEF DESCRIPTION dutch paralympic sportswoman
DATE OF BIRTH November 20, 1984
PLACE OF BIRTH Gouda , Netherlands