Marie Bochet, the greatest French paralympic skier
A four-time Paralympic champion, Marie Bochet represents an image of excellence for athletes. Known for her kindness but also for her perfectionism, she lets no detail go unnoticed on the slope. This is what enables her to be one of the best Paralympic skiers on the world stage.
A Champion from Savoie
A Beaufortin native, Marie took to skiing when she was at nursery school. She started her first competitions with non-disabled people. In 2006, when she started secondary school, Marie joined the Albertville Handisport club, and then the French Skiing Federation. This was the first time a disabled athlete was accepted. Marie talks confidently about her childhood disability, a malformation of her left forearm. She never looked on it as a weakness.
At just 18, Marie competed at the Vancouver Paralympic Games. Four years later, she won 4 gold medals at Sochi. At 20, she took gold in all four events: downhill, super-combined, Super-G, and giant slalom. This unprecedented achievement makes her the first French athlete to amass such an impressive number of medals at the Paralympic Games.
A specialist in technical disciplines, particularly slalom at the start of her career, she is now a complete skier who knows no bounds.
In 2016, she achieved the Grand Slam by winning all her races, including the Cristal Globe and 4 “small” Cristal Globes in downhill, slalom, giant slalom, and super-G events. She even pushed for perfection, amassing 17 victories out of 17 World Cup races during the 2015-2016 season.
A Healthy Mind in a Healthy Body
Marie is obviously a sportswoman, but she was also determined to excel in her studies. She adapted her schedule to balance physical training and competitions with her school calendar. In fact, she obtained her bac ES (Economics and Social Sciences high school diploma) in 2013 with distinction. Today, she studies at Sciences Po Paris in a program tailored for top-level athletes.
Fun Facts about Marie
- In 2014, she was named Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur alongside Martin Fourcade.
- That same year, she won an award at the Laureus Sports Awards, the most prestigious ceremony in the sporting calendar.
- In 2016, she joined the French military skiing team.
- Marie has shared the secret to her success: large portions of the Beaufort cheese produced by her parents.
Her Successes
- Four-time champion at the Sochi Paralympic Games 2014
- 15 world champion Paralympic titles in 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2017
- 67 victories at the World Cup
- 5 big Cristal Globes
- 13 small Cristal Globes
