The German who recovered from a stroke to seal Olympic first

A little tired but with a smile on her face, Kathrin Marchand arrives for her first training session of the day. Together with her rowing partner Valentin Luz, the para-athlete will spend the first few hours of the day on the water in a double scull. A few quick stretches, and then they’re off.

“Five years ago, I never would have thought I’d be rowing this much again,” Marchand told DW. “I consider it a privilege that I can still compete at the elite level.”

Now 35, Marchand made her Olympic debut in 2012 in London as part of the German women’s eight. Four years later, she competed for the second time at the Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro.

After the Olympics in Brazil, Marchand ended her sporting career, completed her medical degree and then began working as a doctor in 2018 — until a stroke in 2021 turned her life upside-down.

During an indoor cycling class, the left side of her body suddenly went numb, she recalled. “I didn’t immediately think of a stroke back then because I was simply far too young. I was 30 years old and had no preexisting conditions,” she said.

Marchand didn’t call an ambulance until an hour after the incident. An MRI scan at the hospital then confirmed the stroke. “In that moment, you think: ‘What did I do to deserve this?’”

Adjusting to a new reality

The medical bolt from the blue changed the young doctor’s life. Since then, Marchand has had problems with concentration and forgetfulness, and difficulty orienting herself, as well as a limited field of vision. It has taken her a long time to get used to her new reality and come to terms with her limitations.

“It’s really hard when you’re suddenly torn away from your everyday life,” she said. “I’ll never be healthy again. I’ve learned that the body isn’t a machine, even if I sometimes wish it were.”

The stroke has meant she has had to scale back on a number of fronts. “I have to lower my standards. I set fewer goals for myself, but I’ve also learned not to be quite so hard on myself.”

But Marchand is determined to make the best of her situation. “I’ve changed my perspective. Of course my limitations annoy me, but in the end, it comes down to how you deal with them.”

From Rio to Paris and Olympics to Paralympics

Just a few months after her stroke, Marchand was back in a rowing boat — this time, however, as a para-athlete. “Sports teach you a lot about how to cope with negative events. A sports career isn’t always smooth sailing, there are some lows but also positives,” she said.

Marchand didn’t have to wait long for her first successes in her “new” discipline. She won her first medals at the European and World Championships and also qualified for the 2024 Paralympics in Paris, where she took fourth place in the German mixed four-person boat.

“I used to have nothing to do with para sports and had no connection to it at all,” said Marchand.

“But then I spoke with para-athletes and started looking into it. I went to my first training session and it was absolutely wonderful. Everyone there had a disability, and then you see: ‘Hey, having a disability isn’t so bad.’ It was a totally positive experience.”

Marchand makes sporting history

After several years competing in summer Paralympic sports, Marchand took it a step further with a new challenge: para cross-country skiing. Her first winter training sessions on the narrow skis weren’t easy, but she adapted to such an extent she qualified for the Milan-Cortina Games earlier this year.

In doing so, she became the first athlete in history to have competed in the Summer Olympics, the Summer Paralympics and the Winter Paralympics.

Since then, Marchand’s profile has grown. She has become a public figure in Germany — and wants to use that to encourage others facing similar challenges.

“I’m just living my life and find it amazing when I can inspire other people or serve as a role model,” she said. “I’m always happy when I get messages saying, ‘Hey, we love what you’re doing, and it’s helped us get through a difficult time.’”

Aiming for 2028 Paralympic medal

Marchand tries to wring as much from her own life as possible, and believes that “in the end, the stroke has given me more than it has taken away.” She admits that often sounds strange to other people.

“I used to be healthy, and now I’m sick. Why would anyone want to be sick when they can be healthy?”

Her explanation is simple: “Before the stroke, my life was much more stressful; I worked a lot and took much less joy in the things I did.”

It’s sad to admit to that, she said. “I could have turned my life around before, but I didn’t. It’s a shame that it takes a moment of fate to realize so many things.”

Today, Marchand is content with her life and knows her limits. Nevertheless, she has set herself a major goal at the Los Angeles Summer Games in 2028, where she hopes to finally win her first Paralympic medal in the para-rowing boat.

This article was originally written in German.