Nicolien Sauerbreij

Nicolien Sauerbreij, born on 31 July 1979 in the village of De Hoef in the Dutch province of Utrecht, is a professional snowboarder who specialises in parallel giant slalom. She won seven World Cup races and finished first in the parallel giant slalom standings of the 2007-2008 and 2009-2010 World Cup seasons. At the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver she won the gold medal in the women's parallel giant slalom, the first Dutch medal at a non-ice skating event at a Winter Olympics and the hundredth Dutch Olympic gold medal. She also competed at the 2002 Games, where she carried the flag of the Netherlands, and at the 2006 Games, and she was named Dutch sportswoman of the year in 2010. Her father Maarten is her coach.