ABOUT

TRIPLE PARALYMPIC CHAMPION 

Marlou Van Rhijn, nicknamed the blade babe, is a Dutch athlete specialized in the 100, 200 and 400 meters sprint. She holds the World Records in all three distances. She graduated from the Johan Cruyff University in Amsterdam and has a degree in economics.

She has a double below the knee amputation and therefore she competes in class T43.

After Van Rhijn qualified for the Paralympics games in London 2012, she won a silver medal in de 100 meters and gold in the 200 meters. In both distances she stormed towards a new world record.

In the year after the Paralympic games, in 2013, Marlou became world champion in both the 100 and 200 meters. Because she wanted to keep pushing herself towards even faster world records, she decided to train with a coach who was specialized in sprinting. This was a big succes because in 2015 she defended both her titles in the 100 & 200 meters ans is now also the first female on blades who ran below 13 seconds in the 100m and below 26 seconds in the 200m.

At the Paralympic games in Rio the Janeiro, Marlou celebrated another victory in the 200 meters and also added a Paralympic gold in the 100 meters. This now makes Marlou a three-time Paralympic champion.

Date of birth: October  22, 1991

Place of birth: Monnickendam, The Netherlands

Residence: Purmerend, The Netherlands

Sport: Athletics: 100, 200 and 400 metres

Class: T43