Marlou van Rhijn (; born 22 October 1991) is a retired professional Dutch former professional sprint runner. Van Rhijn, who was born without lower legs, is the world record holder for T43 in the 100 and

200 metres The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slightl ...

events and ran with the aid of

carbon fibre Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers (Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon compo ...

transtibial

artificial limb In medicine, a prosthesis (plural: prostheses; from grc, πρόσθεσις, prósthesis, addition, application, attachment), or a prosthetic implant, is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost through trau ...

s. She competed in T44 (single below knee incapacity) events though she was classified in T43 (double below knee). She announced her retirement in June 2021.

Personal

Marlou van Rhijn was born on 22 October 1991 in

Monnickendam Monnickendam () is a city in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Waterland, and lies on the coast of the Markermeer, about southeast of Purmerend. It received city rights in 1355 and was damaged by the fir ...

in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. She studied commercial economics at the

Johan Cruyff Institute Johan Cruyff Institute is an educational institution, founded by Dutch footballer Johan Cruyff, aimed at educating athletes, sport and business professionals in the field of sport management. History The academic institution was founded in 1999 ...

in Amsterdam.

Swimming

Until 2009, Van Rhijn was a member of the national team for swimmers with a disability. Amongst others, she was swimming at a World and a European championship. She swam several Dutch national records. She competed in the S9 class and focused on the 50 and 100 meter freestyle. She stopped swimming competitively in 2010 due to lack of motivation.

Athletics

Van Rhijn switched sports in 2010, after being approached by Guido Bonsen, coach of the Dutch Parathletics Team. She did a trial, and was hooked. Van Rhijn became a member of the ''Dutch Parathletics Team'' of the Koninklijke Nederlandse Atletiek Unie. Despite qualifying as T43, she competes in the class T44 at the 100 and 200 meters. She qualified for the

2012 Summer Paralympics The 2012 Summer Paralympics, branded as the London 2012 Paralympic Games, were an international multi-sport parasports event held from 29 August to 9 September 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. They were the 14th Summer Paralympic Ga ...

in May 2012, while competing at the

Stadio Olimpico The Stadio Olimpico (English: ''Olympic Stadium'') is the largest sports facility in Rome, Italy, seating over 70,000 spectators. It is located within the Foro Italico sports complex, north of the city. The structure is owned by the Italian N ...

. She was invested as a Knight of the

Order of Orange-Nassau The Order of Orange-Nassau ( nl, Orde van Oranje-Nassau, links=no) is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands. The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has ...

after winning her Paralympic medals. She left the national paralympic team. She started training after the Paralympic Games in Ookmeer, Amsterdam with her new coach Parcy Marte, who also trains non-paralympic people. In the build up to the

2016 Summer Paralympics The 2016 Summer Paralympics (), the 15th Summer Paralympic Games, were a major international multi-sport event for disabled sports, athletes with disabilities governed by the International Paralympic Committee, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, fro ...

she was supportive of Shardea Arias de la Cruz when she decided to create a Paralympic committee and team for the small island nation of

Aruba Aruba ( , , ), officially the Country of Aruba ( nl, Land Aruba; pap, Pais Aruba) is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands physically located in the mid-south of the Caribbean Sea, about north of the Venezuela peninsula of P ...

Achievements

Athletics

Swimming

References

External links

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Marlou van Rhijn at London 2012

Marlou van Rhijn
at the '' Koninklijke Nederlandse Atletiek Unie''
Personal swimming records of Marlou van Rhijn
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rhijn, Marlou Van 1991 births Living people Sprinters with limb difference Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Paralympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Paralympics Dutch female sprinters Knights of the Order of Orange-Nassau Medalists at the 2012 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2016 Summer Paralympics Paralympic athletes of the Netherlands Paralympic gold medalists for the Netherlands Paralympic silver medalists for the Netherlands People from Monnickendam World record holders in Paralympic athletics World Para Athletics Championships winners Medalists at the World Para Athletics European Championships Paralympic medalists in athletics (track and field) Sportspeople from North Holland Paralympic sprinters 20th-century Dutch women 21st-century Dutch women