Stephanie De Groof admits to being “a tourist” at London 2012 when the Red Panthers lined up at their first Olympics in the glare of the media spotlight as the first Belgium women’s team to compete at the Games.
“It was a miracle that we qualified,” recalls De Groof. The Red Panthers’ rise – although Paris marks their first Olympics since 2012 – has been rapid if you think that they only started their first qualification bid in 2008. Back then they started alongside the men, with the same funding and the plan to go to Rio. London was a bonus.
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