Bibian Mentel-Spee (27 September 1972 – 29 March 2021) was a Dutch three-fold Winter Paralympics gold-medalist, and five-times world champion para-snowboarding athlete. Mentel won the Paralympic gold medal in the snowboard cross discipline in the 2014 and 2018 Paralympic Winter Games, as well as in the banked slalom in 2018, despite battling cancer nine times since the beginning of the century. She won her 2018 medals at age 45. Mentel co-wrote two books about her life, career, and struggles with cancer, and set up her own "Mentelity" foundation. In 2012, Mentel was invested as a knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau. Career Mentel started her snowboard career in 1993. In 1996 she participated in her first FIS Snowboard World Cup competition. Mentel became six times Dutch champion in the regular, non-disabled half-pipe and snowboard cross disciplines, before developing medical troubles. During a practice run for the championships in Breckenridge, Colorado, in December 1999, she suffered an injury in her ankle. She completed the season, however the ankle remained a source of concern. X-rays showed a spot on her tibia which was diagnosed as a malignant bone tumor. The tumor was removed and Mentel started training for the 2002 Winter Olympics for which she qualified. Soon it became clear the tumor had regrown and had a chance of spreading to the rest of her body via her blood. She chose to have her leg amputated. Four months after the amputation she was able to ride a snowboard again, despite still being unable to walk using crutches. The following January she was asked to present the trophy at the Dutch championships half-pipe. She decided to compete in the Dutch snowboard cross championships, which she won—in the main class—not the disabled; her seventh Dutch championship. This inspired Mentel to work with Dutch member of the International Paralympic Committee Rita van Driel to get snowboarding adopted as a medal event at the paralympic Winter Games. After eight years of lobbying this was achieved in 2012. In 2013, Mentel qualified for the 2014 Winter Paralympics. At the opening ceremony she was the flag bearer for the Netherlands. She won the Paralympic gold medal in the snowboard cross event. In the winter season prior to the 2018 Winter Paralympics in PyeongChang, Mentel was unable to participate in a single competition due to medical complications. Due to her condition, most sponsors had given up on her, the