A medical miracle - Monique Van der Vorst

It’s often said in sports that the best athletes are those who can overcome the physical pain felt by the body through determination and shear mental grit; “mind overcoming the body” is probably one of the most clichéd phrases within endurance sports. It’s certainly true that the best athletes are mentally strong with a will power that is enviable to say the least. Mark Cavendish is a stellar example of an athlete who, although not physiologically the most gifted of sportsmen, has the will to win and that steely determination which characterises many of the sporting worlds other great performers.

However, this article isn’t concerned with the finer sections of ‘Sports-Psychology 101’ but in fact is centred around a news piece run by BBC on the 25^th of November. The video, which can be seen here, concerns Monique Van der Vorst a Dutch Paralympian; or should that be ex-Paralympian!

The 27 year old has had an unlucky run of injuries, accidents and crashes throughout her life, which left her without the use of both legs for the previous 3 years and before that with the use of only one leg for 13 years. This is the sort of catastrophic event which have galvanised many Paralympic athletes to reach their sporting levels and is one of the reasons why the Paralympic games stand as such a fantastic example to people worldwide.

But what was so incredible about this story is not only that Monique managed to remain focussed and motivated throughout her injuries and setbacks, but that as a result of her most recent crash she regained the use of both legs and is now in training to make a full comeback to the sport of road cycling.

I feel that this determination not only embodies what we all really love about sport, but this story is well and truly inspiring to all those who’ve found themselves unmotivated to climb back on their bikes this winter. Who cares if it’s cold? Who cares if it’s raining? Let’s all be grateful for what we’ve got and in the true spirit of cycling grab a rain coat, some overshoes and a set of lights and head out the door!

See more inspiring articles here. Also available on your kindle :-)

picture via Matteo Ricci - Presidente Provincia Pesaro Urbino