Monique Velzeboer
Encyclopedia
Monique Cornelia Annamaria Velzeboer (born in Oud Ade, on October 18, 1969) is a Dutch skater and photographer.
At the Winter Olympics in Calgary in 1988 she won Gold, silver and bronze in the short track skating
discipline, when short-track speed skating was held as a demonstration sport. She ranked also 4th in the 500 metres of the 1992 Winter Olympics
. Her life as an elite sport star ended early, during a training for the 1994 Winter Olympics
Monique had a bad fall in Font-Romeu
and she broke both her wrists and became paraplegic
.
After a difficult period Monique is now full of life. Monique is a photographer and travels around the world to the most impressive places to photograph, she was already in Mexico, India, Rwanda, Bangladesh and Nepal. Monique photographs for the Liliane Fund, a Fund which is committed to children with disabilities in developing countries. Through the Monique Velzeboer Foundation, she sells photos, calendars, cards and the proceeds are going to the Liliane Fund.
Her two siblings, Simone and Mark were also speed skaters.
At the Winter Olympics in Calgary in 1988 she won Gold, silver and bronze in the short track skating
Short track speed skating at the 1988 Winter Olympics
Short track speed skating was a demonstration sport at the 1988 Winter Olympic Games. Events were competed at the Max Bell Arena in Calgary...
discipline, when short-track speed skating was held as a demonstration sport. She ranked also 4th in the 500 metres of the 1992 Winter Olympics
1992 Winter Olympics
The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 8 to 23 February 1992 in Albertville, France. They were the last Winter Olympics to be held the same year as the Summer Olympics, and the first where the Winter Paralympics...
. Her life as an elite sport star ended early, during a training for the 1994 Winter Olympics
1994 Winter Olympics
The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 12 to 27 February 1994 in and around Lillehammer, Norway. Lillehammer failed to win the bid for the 1992 event. Lillehammer was awarded the games in 1988, after having beat...
Monique had a bad fall in Font-Romeu
Font-Romeu-Odeillo-Via
Font-Romeu-Odeillo-Via , or Odeillo, is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales and Cerdagne near the Spanish border in the south of France.It also is one of the oldest ski resorts in France and the oldest in the Pyrenees.- Solar Power :...
and she broke both her wrists and became paraplegic
Paraplegia
Paraplegia is an impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower extremities. The word comes from Ionic Greek: παραπληγίη "half-striking". It is usually the result of spinal cord injury or a congenital condition such as spina bifida that affects the neural elements of the spinal canal...
.
After a difficult period Monique is now full of life. Monique is a photographer and travels around the world to the most impressive places to photograph, she was already in Mexico, India, Rwanda, Bangladesh and Nepal. Monique photographs for the Liliane Fund, a Fund which is committed to children with disabilities in developing countries. Through the Monique Velzeboer Foundation, she sells photos, calendars, cards and the proceeds are going to the Liliane Fund.
Her two siblings, Simone and Mark were also speed skaters.