Off Track ..... Beating leukemia helped him win gold

Dutchman Maarten van der Weijden said the experience of beating cancer helped him win an Olympic gold medal after victory in the men's 10km open water marathon swim on Thursday.

The 27-year-old was diagnosed with leukemia in 2001, but came back stronger after his ordeal to compete at the 2003 Open Water World Championships before he was crowned world champion over 25km in Seville earlier this year.

He compared his gold-medal triumph to his personal battle against cancer as he waited patiently for the leaders to set the early pace before a late burst saw him claim gold in a time of 1 hr 51 min 51.6 sec.