by Oliver Trust
BERLIN, March 6 (Xinhua) -- Kathrin Marchand shares an Olympic dream with thousands of athletes. Her journey, however, has taken an unusual path shaped by a fierce appetite for sport and life.
The Milan-Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games will mark her fourth appearance at a Games, and another milestone in a career that has crossed formats and seasons.
The 35-year-old will become the first female athlete to compete in three different Games formats: the Summer Olympic Games (London 2012 and Rio 2016), the Summer Paralympics (Paris 2024) and the Winter Paralympics (Milan-Cortina 2026).
Her first two Olympic chapters were written on the water in rowing, while in Italy she will compete as a cross-country skier.
Between her early Olympic appearances and her later starts at the 2024 Paralympics (rowing) and 2026 Winter Paralympics (skiing), a dramatic turning point reshaped her life.
On Sept. 1, 2021, during a spinning session at home, Marchand suddenly felt numbness on the left side of her body.
A doctor by profession, she immediately realized she was suffering a stroke. Since then, she has lived with visual impairment and coordination problems.
"It was a shock and came completely unexpectedly. During rehabilitation, I was surrounded by people in their seventies. I knew I was ill just like they were, only forty years younger," she recalled, but she quickly decided not to give up.
Marchand returned to rowing, but after finishing fourth at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, she felt her sporting career was over.
"I thought that was it. I couldn't see any further improvement," she said.
Shortly afterward, a member of the German coaching staff asked whether she would consider trying cross-country skiing. Her first steps on skis came in a parking lot outside a football stadium in Cologne.
"It took some time because I was impatient," she said with a smile. Yet 14 months later she was competing at the top level in her new sport.
"Now I take things as they are. I narrowly escaped death - the survival rate was below five percent. Today I see it as a second chance," she said, adding that her medical background and supportive family helped her rebuild.
From that point, she said she began to live "with open eyes, focusing on the positive aspects. Life offers so much if you are willing to see it."
Exploring new horizons also inspired her to return to rowing. At the 2025 European Championships and World Championships, she won gold in the double sculls.
Looking ahead to Milan-Cortina, Marchand said she still holds "the dream of winning an Olympic medal, something I have missed so far." Months of winter training, she said, have prepared her for the challenge.
She added that she has learned how to cope with setbacks and feels full of energy again.
Further ahead, her sights are already set on the 2028 Summer Paralympic Games in Los Angeles. ■
