Inge Dekker, 3-time Olympian from the Netherlands, has quietly been making her comeback to the pool after dealing with a cervical cancer diagnosis and subsequent surgery. The 30-year-old was diagnosed with the disease just in February of this year and underwent successful surgery in March, putting her 2016 Olympic dream on temporarily on hold.
Opting not to swim at May’s European Championships in London, Dekker’s first competitive return to the pool was at the Sette Colli Trophy at the end of June. As a nod to the swimmer’s determination to get back to form, just a few months post-surgery, Dekker placed in each of her individual events at the meet. Dekker nabbed 8th in the 50m freestyle (25.57), 7th in the B-Final of the 100m freestyle (55.79) and 4th overall in the 100m butterfly (59.26 after clocking 58.61 in prelims).
Dekker also competed at the 2016 French Open in Vichy, as well as the KNZB Challenger meet, the latter of which saw the Dutch speedster register a swift 57.98 100m butterfly, a mark which falls within the top 10 times of her career.
Remarkably, even after undergoing the emotional and physical turmoil of the cancer diagnosis, Dekker was named to her nation’s 17-strong Olympic roster for Rio. She will be competing in the 50m freestyle, 100m butterfly individual events, as well as a member of the Dutch 400m freestyle relay.
We recently caught up with Dekker as she is preparing for her 4th Olympic Games. The athlete gives candid insight into her mindset during her health ordeal, as well as looking ahead to her time to shine at the biggest international sporting competition less than 2 weeks away.
Retta: How different is your mindset entering Rio compared to past Olympic squads of which you’ve been a part?
Dekker: My mindset is not that different. I still want to swim really fast and give everything I’ve got. The big difference is that I feel like I started behind everyone. I’ve had a lot of catching up to do since the surgery but I think that’s going pretty well. However, I do realize (more than ever before) that swimming is something I enjoy very much but it’s certainly not the most important in life.
Retta: What is your primary focus in Rio? How would you describe your perfect 2016 Olympics?
Dekker: My events will be the 4×100 free relay, 100 fly and 50 free. My main focus will bet he 4×100 free relay because that will be my biggest chance on winning a medal. I already have won 3 medals with that relay and I want one more. My perfect Olympics will be if we will win another medal and if I make a final in an individual event. I’m not sure how realistic these goals are because I came from so far and I don’t know exactly where I stand.
Retta: How are you feeling since your surgery? I know you took a small piece of time off – what was it like getting back into the swing of swimming?
Dekker: I’m feeling good now but right after surgery I couldn’t really do anything. The surgery went well but I was still a major surgery. It took more than 5 hours and the recovery time was at least 6 weeks. After 3 weeks I was allowed to get in the water again but I could still barely move. But I wasn’t ready to give up my dream of winning a 4th Olympic medal. I strongly believe that exercising makes you recover quicker. Even though I was in pain still, we tried to do a little bit more in the water every day. In the beginning of May I was back on 8 swimming sessions a week. Aerobic endurance and strength were coming back slowly. By the end of June and the beginning of July we added some competitions to the program and I showed I could still swim decent times. I feel pretty happy about the progress I’ve made!
Retta: Was the cancer just found during a routine exam? Or had you been feeling unwell where tests were conducted to determine the cause?
Dekker: The cancer was found during a routine check. I wasn’t experiencing any complaints. And that is exactly how it works with cervical cancer. When you start to feel something is off, you’re in a bad place because the cancer has developed into a more severe stage. My stage was still stage 1 and relatively small. That’s why I “only” needed surgery. Even though that’s still a major surgery, there’s no chemo or radiation therapy needed.
Retta: What was your first thought when you heard your diagnosis? To whom did you turn to cope with the news?
Dekker: I was really confused when I found out at first. Because you are told you have cancer but I had no idea what stage it was in. We just didn’t know how bad it was and what was going to happen for about a week. I turned to my boyfriend and family for coping and also my coach and our team doctor were a big help. I was scared of not surviving and losing my fertility but luckily it turned out to be an early stage. I’m still a little scared it will come back though. I guess that will never fully go away until after the 5 year time slot and maybe even after that.
Retta: When you discussed treatment with your doctors, was being able to compete in this year’s Olympics the target for recovery? Meaning, were the Olympics in the conversation where you thought you’d still be able to compete?
Dekker: For me competing in the Olympics was always in the back of my mind. Other things, like being able to have children or surviving were way more important of course. When I heard the diagnosis I was quite sure my swimming days were over. But when we found out the cancer was still in an early stage, I did bring up the Olympics subject. I did research myself about treatment options and asked lots of questions. My doctors were quite skeptic but they also wanted to cooperate in this challenge. They’d never met any patients with this goal and after getting used to the idea I think it became their goal too. I’m really thankful to them for adapting to my specific situation.
Retta: What is your prognosis since surgery?
Dekker: I’m now officially healthy again but there’s always a chance that the cancer is coming back. Chances are small but still present and I will need checks every 3 months for the next 5 years.
Retta: Do you think being an elite athlete, in such great shape contributed to you being so resilient after surgery?
Yes. Everyone told me before surgery that whenever you are more fit, wou will recover quicker. Right after surgery I thought that was bogus. I felt so bad that I could’t imagine feeling worse. But I know now that what people ment is that you’ll recover faster when you are fit and healthy. Everyone starts at 0 % after surgery but you’ll reach 100 % faster when you are fit and when you exercise after surgery.
Retta: Do you feel that you may want become involved in cancer awareness in some capacity perhaps post-Olympics?
Dekker: Maybe, I don’t now yet. I already made quite a big statement in the Netherlands for getting yourself checked whenever you’ll get invited for a routine check. Not everyone responds to that invitation while it’s so important!
Retta: Will you be sticking around Rio after swimming to cheer on/watch other sports?
Dekker: I would love to but we will have to win a medal in order to do so. Our Olympic comittee has put in a new rule and if you don’t win a medal you’ll be on a plane home by the 16th of August.
Retta: Do you envision yourself still swimming post-Rio? What do you think has allowed you to be so successful for so long?
Dekker: I’m not sure yet. I will decide after Rio. I have started a small swimming school with one of my younger sisters. It’s called USWIM and I give that more time after the Olympics for sure. I might continue swimming but I will not decide until after Rio. The love of swimming has made me successful. And I still love what I’m doing everyday. I see swimming as a little puzzle. Every year you set new goals and you are trying to put all the little pieces together throughout the season.
Way to go, Inge!
So inspiring! She has so much strength. I hope she does well in Rio.