Leontine Martha Henrica Petronella 'Leontien' van Moorsel
(born March 22, 1970 in Boekel) is a Dutch racing
cyclist. She is also
known under her married name, Leontien Zijlaard-van Moorsel.
Van
Moorsel started her career in the late 1980s and was soon one of the
best cyclists in the world. She won major races both on the track, and
on the road. In the first half of the 1990s, she won the Tour Féminin
twice, after fierce competition with Jeannie Longo.
Van Moorsel
dropped out of cycling in 1994 with depression and anorexia nervosa.
Together with Michael Zijlaard, whom she married in 1995, she overcame
her ill health. She was selected to compete at the world championships
in 1998. Here, her first major tournament for four years, she surprised
by winning the time trial and coming second in the road race. Since
then, she has won a number of world titles.
At the 2000 Summer
Olympics in Sydney, van Moorsel was one of the most successful
athletes. She won gold medals on the road (road race and time trial),
and on the track (3km pursuit). At the 2004 Summer Olympics, she was
one of the favorites in the road race but she fell in the penultimate
lap. Despite injury, she competed in the time trial three days later
and successfully defended her title. With four gold, one silver, and a
bronze Olympic medal, Leontien van Moorsel is one of the most
successful Dutch athletes ever.
After her last race at the 2004 Olympics, the individual pursuit, van Moorsel retired from professional cycling.