Marco Van Der Stel

Marco van der Stel made a big decision when he left high school in 2010 – to give himself one year to make it as a professional triathlete or move on. Marco was born in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and grew up swimming. Racing was his passion and his major focus which helped drive him to multiple National titles, competing over 5km in both the pool and open water.

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At the age of 18 he decided it was time to give something else a go, but hadn’t given up on putting his athletic background in the water to good use. Urged on by his swim coach, Marco decided to apply for his national federation’s Talent ID programme and attended a selection day. He got accepted and in 2010 imposed his personal deadline on trying to make it up the ladder.

Thankfully for Marco, his progress was rapid enough to encourage him to stick with the sport. Within just two years he was debuting at World Triathlon Series level in Stockholm and his strong swim saw him make a breakaway pack at the front of the race. His punchy speeds have made him an integral part of the Netherlands Mixed Relay squad. He was part of the team that collected a bronze medal at the World Championship in Hamburg in 2017, and was selected for his first Olympic Games in Tokyo.

The Dutch selectors made the decision to rest him for the individual event so he was fresh for the Mixed Relay and Marco was given the honour of the final leg, where he helped his country to finish in seventh place.

Marco’s partner is Quinty Schoens, a fellow triathlete who has also represented the Netherlands at international level.