Bibian Mentel
Dutch Paralympic snowboarder (1972–2021)
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Key Takeaways
- Bibian Mentel-Spee (27 September 1972 – 29 March 2021) was a Dutch three-fold Winter Paralympics gold-medalist, and five-times world champion para-snowboarding athlete.
- She won her 2018 medals at age 45.
- In 2012, Mentel was invested as a knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau.
- In 1996 she participated in her first FIS Snowboard World Cup competition.
- During a practice run for the championships in Breckenridge, Colorado, in December 1999, she suffered an injury in her ankle.
Bibian Mentel-Spee (27 September 1972 – 29 March 2021) was a Dutch three-fold Winter Paralympics gold-medalist, and five-times world champion para-snowboarding athlete. Mentel won the Paralympic gold medal in the snowboard cross discipline in the 2014 and 2018 Paralympic Winter Games, as well as in the banked slalom in 2018, despite battling cancer nine times since the beginning of the century. She won her 2018 medals at age 45.
Mentel co-wrote two books about her life, career, and struggles with cancer, and set up her own "Mentelity" foundation.
In 2012, Mentel was invested as a knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau.
Career
Mentel started her snowboard career in 1993. In 1996 she participated in her first FIS Snowboard World Cup competition. Mentel became six times Dutch champion in the regular, non-disabled half-pipe and snowboard cross disciplines, before developing medical troubles.
During a practice run for the championships in Breckenridge, Colorado, in December 1999, she suffered an injury in her ankle. She completed the season, however the ankle remained a source of concern. X-rays showed a spot on her tibia which was diagnosed as a malignant bone tumor. The tumor was removed and Mentel started training for the 2002 Winter Olympics for which she qualified. Soon it became clear the tumor had regrown and had a chance of spreading to the rest of her body via her blood. She chose to have her leg amputated.
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