Leontien van Moorsel

Athlete, Experience expert

1 hour

NL

Olympics,
Performance,
Focus,
Cycling

Inspire,
Motivate,
Winning

Leontien van Moorsel is one of the greatest Dutch sports icons of all time. In a candid interview with Jan Dirk Stouten, she talks about her impressive cycling career, the challenges she faced along the way and her current mission with the Leontien House. An inspiring and personal story of resilience, ambition and meaningful entrepreneurship.

Leontien Zijlaard-Van Moorsel is without a doubt one of the most successful sportswomen the Netherlands has ever known. She won four gold and two silver Olympic medals, won nine world road and track titles, and also won the Tour de France to her name. For her extraordinary achievements in sports, she was awarded the Fanny Blankers-Koen Career Award. But behind that impressive list of honors is a story that goes beyond victories and medals.

In the first part of her career, Leontien had a tough time: she struggled with an eating disorder and made unrealistically high demands on herself. She candidly recounts this difficult period, its impact on her life, and the road back to health and balance. Her story is one of resilience, reflection and regaining strength from vulnerability.

During a personal interview with sports journalist Jan Dirk Stouten, with whom she has worked for years, Leontien takes the audience along the ups and downs of her cycling life. But the conversation doesn't stop there. Her current work as an entrepreneur is also discussed, as is her passion project: the Leontien House, a place where she guides young people with an eating disorder and inspires them with her own experiences.

Leontien is a born storyteller. With her warm Brabant charm, a good dose of humor and honest anecdotes, she knows how to captivate and touch every audience. She does not speak from on high, but rather from person to person - sincere, vulnerable and powerful. This is not a standard sports story, but an inspiring encounter with a woman who has achieved a lot, but above all has a lot to tell. About top sport, about trial and error, and about the value of being truly meaningful to others.

Share this act