Maarten van der WeijdenImage: telegraph.co.uk
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OLYMPICS SPORTS QUOTES
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Maarten van der Weijden: Don't call me Lance Armstrong
."I'm no Lance Armstrong, don't call me Lance Armstrong," insisted Holland's Olympic swimming champion Maarten van der Weijden, who won an epic battle with Great Britain's David Davies in the men's 10k Open Water event this morning.
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He also won an even more brutal fight with cancer eight years ago and was forced to take two years out from 2001 to win his fight against the disease. At one stage he was not expected to survive.
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Van der Weijden not only confounded the medics - he came back even stronger and is a multi world champion for all events up to 25km.
Van der Weijden not only confounded the medics - he came back even stronger and is a multi world champion for all events up to 25km.
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"Armstrong says that positive thinking and doing a lot of sports can save you. I don't agree," said van der Weijden. "I even think it's dangerous because it implies that if you are not a positive thinker all the time you lose.
"Armstrong says that positive thinking and doing a lot of sports can save you. I don't agree," said van der Weijden. "I even think it's dangerous because it implies that if you are not a positive thinker all the time you lose.
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"The doctors - and not just the power of positive thinking and my love of sport - have saved me. I am just lucky that the chemotherapy saved me. That's how simple it is. "
"The doctors - and not just the power of positive thinking and my love of sport - have saved me. I am just lucky that the chemotherapy saved me. That's how simple it is. "
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Van der Weijden spoke with great insight on how his fight against cancer has affected him.
"It taught me to think step by step and be patient. When you are in so much pain lying in a hospital bed you aren't thinking about the next month, but the next hour. This is the same strategy I use in the pack when we are racing and waiting my chance.
Van der Weijden spoke with great insight on how his fight against cancer has affected him.
"It taught me to think step by step and be patient. When you are in so much pain lying in a hospital bed you aren't thinking about the next month, but the next hour. This is the same strategy I use in the pack when we are racing and waiting my chance.
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"Seven and a half years ago I was fighting leukaemia. Because of the stem cell transplant I received I had the luck to recover. So everyone who has donated money to cancer research in the past, I am extremely grateful to them. Maybe I wouldn't be here otherwise.
"Seven and a half years ago I was fighting leukaemia. Because of the stem cell transplant I received I had the luck to recover. So everyone who has donated money to cancer research in the past, I am extremely grateful to them. Maybe I wouldn't be here otherwise.
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