Prostheses worth their weight in Olympic gold
Start-up Tecfit is supporting Belgium's medallists at the Paralympic Games by adapting their orthopaedic equipment.
Founded by orthopaedist Serge Devreese in the late 2010s in Trooz, in the province of Liège, Tecfit initially manufactured neurological braces used primarily to rehabilitate patients by electrically stimulating their muscles.
With the arrival of Tom Fischer in 2019, a young industrial engineer with an interest in orthopaedics, the budding start-up then embarked on the development of prostheses for disabled athletes.
Since then, Tecfit has been manufacturing or adapting prostheses for customers looking to optimise their sporting performance, in sports as varied as cycling, running, water sports, skiing, tennis, horse riding, archery, and more.
Maxime Hordies and Maxime Carabin, two of the greatest Belgian champions in action at the Paralympic Games, work with this Liège-based company to help them get even more out of their performance. In Hordies' case, Tecfit adapted his bike to give him a better grip on the pedals, while for Carabin, his positioning in his wheelchair was adapted to improve how the vehicle's lenticular wheels penetrate the air.
Young, aspiring athletes are also turning to this Belgian company to help them qualify for the next Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.