Thomas Van der Plaetsen is a Belgian decathlete Olympian and cancer survivor renowned for winning the decathlon gold at the 2016 European Athletics Championships and a heptathlon bronze at the 2014 World Indoor Championships.

After a cancer diagnosis in 2014, he staged a remarkable comeback to compete at the Rio Olympics in 2016, finishing eighth. Drawing from his own journey, he founded the Back on Track Foundation a fund created in collaboration with AZ Maria Middelares to support cancer patients and their loved ones through psychosocial guidance, rehabilitation programs, and initiatives that promote physical and mental well‑being.

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