Sprinter.  Runner.  Long Jumper.  Philanthropist.  Environmentalist.  Founder, Team Para Atletiek Club. Paralympian.

When a child is born with a congenital limb deficiency (a missing or incomplete arm or leg), it affects not only the child, but also parents and families. For Marlene Van Gansewinkel, born without a left forearm, left ankle and foot, her mother and father saw only a beautiful baby girl with extraordinary potential.  It would be this positive mindset that would propel Marlene towards athletic success.

“My parents would say that there was nothing that I could not do. According to my parents, as a toddler, I already shouted, “If Marlene does practice, then Marlene can do it.”

After several operations in her first year of life, Marlene’s rudimentary toe was amputated and the fingers on her right hand were detached.  With the help of a leg prosthesis, she learned to crawl at age 1.5.  Later, at age 8, she would undergo a major operation on her left leg to put the calf and shin together, giving Marlene the ability to walk well with a leg prosthesis.  Growing up, she enjoyed being outdoors and tried a variety of sports, eventually joining a girl’s football (soccer) club.

“I wanted to do the sports that my classmates did.”

She attended an NOC-NSF Paralympic Talent Day and was quick to impress the coaching staff with her speed and strength.  She was asked to join the Dutch Paralympic team that same day.  She was 17.

After months of training on a daily prosthesis, she received a custom running blade and noticed the difference immediately. 

“This was a great feeling that I had never experienced before.”

Marlene trained for only a week before winning her first competition.  She was on her way.  Two months after receiving her running blade, she made her 100m debut at the world championships in Lyon, where she came in seventh, with a personal record of 14.32.  She would go on to win several medals, national records and world championships, eventually setting a world record in the T64 100m at the 2019 Grand Prix in Nottwil, Switzerland.

Today, wearing her Cheetah Xtreme, Marlene is on a quest for her next gold medal.

“I am doing better in every way, as a person, as a student. I have found my place and am happier.”