Paralympic Champion Marlou van Rhijn and one of the ambassadors of Ottobock, the Official Orthotic Prosthetic and Wheelchair Technical Service Provider for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games is aiming to repeat her winning performances from London 2012.

"For athletes competing at Marlou's level, the correct fitting of the running blade can make all the difference. Prothetists use a combination of technology and experience to align it with the athletes body shape and suit their running style and technique. A running blade is designed to transfer and return the energy needed for running between an athlete and the ground. A poor fitting will result in a loss of energy between the athlete and the prostheses and make it harder for them to run fast,” said Herman Boiten, develop engineer and expert in sports prostheses at Ottobock.

Marlou could feel the changes almost immediately: "Wow, this is just what I am looking for and will help me get out of the starting blocks faster. I look forward to improving my time even more in the coming months running up to Rio. I can't wait to shoot out of the blocks."

Marlou van Rhijn is the current world record holder in the 100m, 200m and 400m. She won gold in the 200m and silver in the 100m at the London 2012 Paralympic Games and holds two world championship and four European championship titles.

Ottobock Benelux sponsors the Dutch Para-athletics Federation, providing Marlou and her team mates the same world class service Ottobock has been providing all athletes competing at the Paralympic Games since 1988.