Bibian Mentel-Spee (27 September 1972 – 29 March 2021) was a Dutch three-fold
Winter Paralympics
The Winter Paralympic Games is an international multi-sport event where athletes with physical disabilities compete in snow and ice sports. The event includes athletes with mobility impairments, amputations, blindness, and cerebral palsy. Th ...
gold-medalist, and five-times world champion para-
snowboarding
Snowboarding is a recreational and competitive activity that involves descending a snow-covered surface while standing on a snowboard that is almost always attached to a rider's feet. It features in the Winter Olympic Games and Winter Paralympi ...
athlete. Mentel won the Paralympic gold medal in the
snowboard cross
Snowboard cross, also known as boardercross, is a snowboard competition in which four to six competitors race down a course. Snowboard cross courses are typically quite narrow and include cambered turns, various types of jumps, berms, rollers, ...
discipline in the 2014 and 2018
Paralympic Winter Games
The Winter Paralympic Games is an international multi-sport event where Parasports, athletes with physical disabilities compete in Winter sports, snow and ice sports. The event includes athletes with mobility impairments, amputations, blindness ...
, 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
The Order of Orange-Nassau ( nl, Orde van Oranje-Nassau, links=no) is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands.
The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has ...
.
Career
Mentel started her snowboard career in 1993. In 1996 she participated in her first
FIS Snowboard World Cup
The FIS Snowboard World Cup is an annual snowboarding competition, arranged by the International Ski Federation (FIS) since 1994. Since its inauguration, different disciplines have been added and removed, along with categories used to group them.
...
competition. Mentel became six times Dutch champion in the regular, non-disabled
half-pipe
A half-pipe is a structure used in gravity extreme sports such as snowboarding, skateboarding, skiing, freestyle BMX, skating, and scooter riding.
Overview
The structure resembles a cross-section of a swimming pool, essentially two concave ramp ...
and
snowboard cross
Snowboard cross, also known as boardercross, is a snowboard competition in which four to six competitors race down a course. Snowboard cross courses are typically quite narrow and include cambered turns, various types of jumps, berms, rollers, ...
disciplines, before developing medical troubles.
During a practice run for the championships in
Breckenridge, Colorado
The Town of Breckenridge is the home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Summit County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 5,078 at the 2020 United States Census. Breckenridge is the pr ...
, in December 1999, she suffered an injury in her
ankle
The ankle, or the talocrural region, or the jumping bone (informal) is the area where the foot and the leg meet. The ankle includes three joints: the ankle joint proper or talocrural joint, the subtalar joint, and the inferior tibiofibular join ...
. She completed the season, however the ankle remained a source of concern.
X-ray
An X-ray, or, much less commonly, X-radiation, is a penetrating form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation. Most X-rays have a wavelength ranging from 10 picometers to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30&nb ...
s showed a spot on her
tibia
The tibia (; ), also known as the shinbone or shankbone, is the larger, stronger, and anterior (frontal) of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates (the other being the fibula, behind and to the outside of the tibia); it connects ...
which was diagnosed as a malignant
bone tumor
A bone tumor is an abnormal growth of tissue in bone, traditionally classified as noncancerous (benign) or cancerous (malignant). Cancerous bone tumors usually originate from a cancer in another part of the body such as from lung, breast, thyroi ...
. The tumor was removed and Mentel started training for the
2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002 ( arp, Niico'ooowu' 2002; Gosiute Shoshoni: ''Tit'-so-pi 2002''; nv, Sooléí 2002; Shoshoni: ''Soónkahni 2002''), was an internation ...
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
Amputation is the removal of a limb by trauma, medical illness, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on indivi ...
.
Four months after the amputation she was able to ride a snowboard again, despite still being unable to walk using
crutch
A crutch is a mobility aid that transfers weight from the legs to the upper body. It is often used by people who cannot use their legs to support their weight, for reasons ranging from short-term injuries to lifelong disabilities.
History
Crutc ...
es. The following January she was asked to present the trophy at the Dutch championships half-pipe. She decided to compete in the Dutch snowboard cross championships, which she won—in the main class—not the disabled;
[ her seventh Dutch championship. This inspired Mentel to work with Dutch member of the ]International Paralympic Committee
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC; german: Internationales Paralympisches Komitee) is an international non-profit organisation and the global governing body for the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organizes the Paralympic Games and fun ...
Rita van Driel to get snowboarding adopted as a medal event at the paralympic Winter Games. After eight years of lobbying this was achieved in 2012.[
In 2013, Mentel qualified for the ]2014 Winter Paralympics
The 2014 Winter Paralympics (russian: Зимние Паралимпийские игры 2014, Zimniye Paralimpiyskiye igry 2014), the 11th Paralympic Winter Games, and also more generally known as the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games, were an ...
. At the opening ceremony she was the flag bearer for the Netherlands. She won the Paralympic gold medal in the snowboard cross
Snowboard cross, also known as boardercross, is a snowboard competition in which four to six competitors race down a course. Snowboard cross courses are typically quite narrow and include cambered turns, various types of jumps, berms, rollers, ...
event.
In the winter season prior to the 2018 Winter Paralympics
)
, nations = 49
, athletes = 569
, events = 80 in 6 sports
, opening = 9 March
, closing = 18 March
, opened_by = President Moon Jae-in
, cauldron = Kim Eun-jung Seo Soon-seok
, stadium = Pyeongchang Olympic ...
in PyeongChang, Mentel was unable to participate in a single competition due to medical complications.[ Due to her condition, most sponsors had given up on her, the Dutch Olympic Committee*Dutch Sports Federation did not support her, and the Dutch Skiing sports federation would only fund a small portion of her expenses.][ She was able to obtain the required funds to compete at the 2018 Winter Paralympics through ]crowdfunding
Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and alternative finance. In 2015, over was raised worldwide by crow ...
.
At the 2018 Winter Paralympics in PyeongChang, Mentel was once again the Dutch flag bearer, again winning the gold medal in the snowboard cross, as well as taking the gold medal on the banked slalom event, beating American competitor Brittani Coury by 0.07 seconds.
Fight against cancer
Since being diagnosed with cancer at age 27, Mentel was confronted with and treated for cancer nine times, including five surgeries. The most recent surgery, in January 2018, replaced her C6 neck vertebra with a titanium frame.[ In 2016 she was told the cancer was terminal, but a switch to a different hospital, where she could receive advanced MRI-guided ]radiotherapy
Radiation therapy or radiotherapy, often abbreviated RT, RTx, or XRT, is a therapy using ionizing radiation, generally provided as part of cancer treatment to control or kill malignant cells and normally delivered by a linear accelerator. Radia ...
treatment, pulled her through, such that she was able to compete successfully in 2018.
Mentel co-wrote two books about her life, career and struggles with cancer. Magnate and philanthropist Richard Branson
Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson (born 18 July 1950) is a British billionaire, entrepreneur, and business magnate. In the 1970s he founded the Virgin Group, which today controls more than 400 companies in various fields.
Branson expressed ...
called her second book ''Kut kanker!'', whose title loosely translates as "Cancer Is Crap!", a " ory of an amazing woman. A must read for anyone who wants to enjoy life to the max". In total, she had received 15 treatments for cancer.
Terminal tumor and death
In early March 2021, it was announced that she had been diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor. According to a statement by her management, she was looking no further ahead than a few months and had started saying farewell to friends and family. On 29 March 2021, it was announced that Mentel had died from the consequences of the tumor.[Bibian Mentel (48), drievoudig paralympisch kampioene snowboarden, overleden ](_blank)
NOS, Dutch, published 29 March 2021 She was survived by her husband and her son.
Education
In 1993, Mentel gave up her law school study in Amsterdam to focus on snowboarding entirely. In 2004 she graduated from the four-year high-level professional program in 'commercial economics, sports marketing & management' at the Randstad Topsports Academy[ – a collaboration of the ]Hogeschool Rotterdam
The Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences (abbreviated as ''Rotterdam UAS''; nl, Hogeschool Rotterdam) is located in the city of Rotterdam, Netherlands. It was created in 1988 by a large-scale merger of 19 higher education schools followed b ...
and the Saxion University of Applied Sciences
Saxion University of Applied Sciences () is a Dutch university of applied sciences with three campuses in the eastern Netherlands. It provides more than 100 courses in study fields as archaeology, finance, law, engineering, hospitality, business, ...
, and in 2013 she became an 'International Master of Sport Management' at the Johan Cruyff Institute.
Mentelity foundation and other activities
In 2012, Mentel set up her own "Mentelity foundation", to stimulate, motivate, and inspire children and adolescents with a physical disability (to continue) to engage in sports, both in general, as well as in extreme board sports in particular.[ By this approach, and aided by the foundation's volunteers, she wanted to make a positive contribution to the mental and physical development of physically disabled people. In that year, she also coached para-athlete Fleur Jong during her rehabilitation after a leg amputation.] Mentel also coached para-snowboarder Lisa Bunschoten
Lisa Bunschoten (born 23 November 1995) is a Dutch Snowboarding, para-snowboarder. She won a silver and a bronze medal in snowboarding at the 2018 Winter Paralympics.
Life and career
Bunschoten was born with fibula aplasia. She competed at t ...
early in her career.
Mentel also worked as a motivational speaker, in the Dutch and English language;[ and occasionally taught at a ]wakeboarding
Wakeboarding is a water sport in which the rider, standing on a wakeboard (a board with foot bindings), is towed behind a motorboat across its wake and especially up off the crest in order to perform aerial maneuvers. A hallmark of wakeboardin ...
school.
In 2019, she appeared in the television show '' Groeten uit 19xx''.
Awards and decorations
* In 2009, Mentel received the golden CAPaward, annually awarded to those who, through perseverance, overcome their physical handiCAPs and turn them into CAPabilities.
* In 2012, she received a knighthood in the Order of Orange-Nassau
The Order of Orange-Nassau ( nl, Orde van Oranje-Nassau, links=no) is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands.
The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has ...
* At the closing ceremony of the Sochi Games, Mentel and Australian Toby Kane received the Whang Youn Dai Achievement Award
The Whang Youn Dai Achievement Award is named after South Korean Dr. Whang Youn Dai, who contracted polio at the age of three. She devoted her life to the development of paralympic sport in Korea and around the world. At the 1988 Paralympic Summe ...
. and
* In December 2014, Mentel was elected 'Paralympic Athlete of the Year' at the annual Dutch NOC*NSF
The Dutch Olympic Committee*Dutch Sports Federation, ( nl, Nederlands Olympisch Comité*Nederlandse Sport Federatie) generally abbreviated NOC*NSF, is the overall coordinating Dutch sports organization that also functions as the Dutch National Ol ...
TV sports gala.
* At the 2015 Paralympic Sport and Media Awards, Mentel received the Courage Award, in recognition of her efforts to get snowboarding included in the Paralympic Winter Games.
* In 2017, she received the Strong Woman Award from Dutch company VanHaren.
Explanatory notes
References
External links
*
*
Bibian Mentel-Spee
at World Para Snowboard
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC; german: Internationales Paralympisches Komitee) is an international non-profit organisation and the global governing body for the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organizes the Paralympic Games and func ...
*
*
Mentelity Foundation
official website
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mentel, Bibian
1972 births
2021 deaths
Deaths from brain tumor
Deaths from cancer in the Netherlands
Dutch female snowboarders
Knights of the Order of Orange-Nassau
Medalists at the 2014 Winter Paralympics
Medalists at the 2018 Winter Paralympics
Paralympic gold medalists for the Netherlands
Paralympic medalists in snowboarding
Paralympic snowboarders of the Netherlands
Snowboarders at the 2014 Winter Paralympics
Snowboarders at the 2018 Winter Paralympics
Sportspeople from Utrecht (city)