BH X TIFANY
HUOT-MARCHAND

HOW FAR ARE YOU CAPABLE OF FIGHTING?
with Tifany Huot-Marchand

Probably much more than you can imagine.
Only in extreme situations do you get to see what you're really capable of. Tifany Huot-Marchand can speak volumes about that.

For years she gave her all to shine in professional sports and reach the top. Discipline, perseverance, capacity for suffering, dedication... surely Tifany believed she was pushing her mind and body to the limit in order to shine in the sport's elite. But... what happens when she has to face something much more complicated than the fight for a World Cup medal?

A serious accident left her in a wheelchair. That's when she realized that she could still go further than she had ever gone before. All to achieve the goal of walking again. And not only did she achieve it, today she is a BH ambassador and has a long list of challenges to face after winning the most important race of her life.

Tifany's sports history is a curious one. She came to explosive Short-Track skating almost by chance. She wasn't even skating when she arrived at a local club near her home encouraged by her neighbor. Skating completely hooked her. But... why the discipline of Short-Track? “In this sport, what I like is the speed, of course, but also the commitment, the strategy, the tactics, the racing !"

They soon saw that Tifany had talent. There began a meteoric sports career. “The first year as a team marked me for life. We went from two trainings per week to two trainings per day. And then we were 900 kilometers from our parents. Lots of change, new life!”. Not just a new life, a life in a place as demanding as professional sports. Her numbers speak for her.

"For almost 13 years I have been to all the World Cups, French, European and World Championships. I also participated in the Olympic Games twice. I have always been very proud to wear the colors of France.

She was European champion and runner-up in the World Cup. "The feeling of completing a race and winning a medal is indescribable to me".

With so many years competing at the highest level, it's common to feel that you always have the situation under control. After all, there are thousands of hours of preparation and hundreds of competitions where you accumulate experience. But in life everything can change in a matter of seconds. And Tifany experienced this firsthand. A hard fall in competition was to mark her life forever.

On October 9, 2022, I had a terrible fall in competition. I found myself paralyzed. This is by far the hardest fight of my life. Still today. After this accident, the surgeon told me that I would probably never walk again. I never wanted to believe that. I fought, even more than during a race .

The dedication, devotion, commitment and sacrifice that she had dedicated to the sport went to another level. But this time it was a different race. A competition that she never knew when it would end. She didn't even know if she would ever be able to finish.

“ I spent a lot of time in the hospital and rehabilitation center. And I had to relearn everything. Walk, eat alone, wash alone, write… everything! Fortunately, I had my boyfriend, my family and my friends. They helped me enormously in this recovery.”

And that's where everything she had learned in sports came into play. And all the hours she had spent working her body and mind. “Sport saved me. The fact that I am a high-level athlete helped me recover and then my mind was boosted by the desire to return to sport. I thought about that absolutely EVERY DAY.”

Finally, the first victory in this new race arrived. Walking again. It might seem like that was the goal of this competition, but Tifany was ready to go for more. Not to be satisfied with that first victory. The next goal would be to get back into sports. And that's where cycling came in.

“I've been riding a road bike for a long time.When I was skating, I was already cycling. I have always liked to challenge myself on a bike. For our short track training, we did a lot of time trials on the bike. I always liked it. Beat a lot of boys, always have the best time and ranking of girls. After walking again for the first time after the accident, I was eager to exercise. The first sport I was able to do was cycling, static, but cycling nonetheless. I was so happy.”

Several advantages of cycling as a sport came into play here. It is a very friendly sport with the musculature and in general with the body. It is not prone to generate injuries or physical discomfort. "Cycling was already a sport that I really liked before, so it was natural that I chose this sport after the accident. In addition, road cycling causes me very little pain compared to, for example, running.”

Cycling is a feeling of freedom.I really like it. I love being outside, enjoying nature and being in the great outdoors.

"I really like road cycling. I do a little mountain biking but I'm not comfortable. Why not try track cycling?"

Tifany Huot-Marchand on Spotify Spotify

So much so that, having achieved the new goal of returning to the sport, she has already set a new and different goal. This time in the form of challenges on the bike.