Cancer survivor and Olympic champ conquers new challenge

THE HAGUE - A Dutchman on Monday completed a marathon swim along the route of the country's most famed ice skating race - which has not been held for two decades as climate change bites.

Instead of skating the daunting Elfstedentocht (Eleven Cities Tour), former Olympic champion long-distance swimmer Maarten van der Weijden slogged his way through all 195 kilometers (121 miles) of its murky canals.

Van der Weijden embarked on the epic journey across northern Friesland province last Friday and finally finished it on Monday evening, as the Netherlands basked in a heatwave.