SDGs of Interest
“When my sporting career ended, I realised that life after elite sport was more challenging than I had expected. Going through that experience made me realise how important support, structure, and purpose can be when navigating change.”
Sport
🥋 Judo
Philanthropy & Social Engagement
Marie Muller brings the discipline, resilience, and structure of elite sport into one of society’s most challenging environments: the prison system. Since 2022, she has worked in the sports service at Uerschterhaff Prison in Luxembourg, using physical activity as a tool to support inmate wellbeing, personal responsibility, and social rehabilitation.
Through sport, she helps create a structured and inclusive environment where inmates can freely choose activities and develop both physical and emotional wellbeing within a secure setting.
As part of her role, she supports sports sessions and provides first-response assistance for injuries, drawing on her experience as an elite athlete in her daily work with a vulnerable population.
Her own experience of post-career isolation and limited institutional support after retirement shaped her understanding of the challenges many athletes face when transitioning out of elite sport. Through her work in correctional settings, she has also developed a deeper appreciation of the value of activity-based approaches to wellbeing and rehabilitation.
Marie also contributed to the High Performance Training and Recovery Centre at Luxembourg’s national sports centre, Coque, during her transition from elite sport, helping to strengthen links between high-performance and community sport.
Nationalities
Career Highlights
🥉 5th place, Summer Olympics London 2012 (-52 kg), narrowly missing the bronze medal.
🏅 9th place, Summer Olympics Beijing 2008 (-52 kg).
🥈 Silver Medalist, IJF Grand Slam, Rio de Janeiro 2010 (-52 kg).
🥇 Gold Medalist, A-World Cup Birmingham 2008 and 2010, and A-World Cup Tallinn 2010.
🥉 Bronze Medalist, European U23 Championships, Ljubljana 2004 (-48 kg).
🏆 Five-time Gold Medalist, Games of the Small States of Europe (2011 Liechtenstein, 2013 Luxembourg, 2015 Iceland).
⭐ Three-time Luxembourg Sportswoman of the Year: 2008, 2010, 2012.
⚽ Poseidonas Karpathou — began career in 2009 at age five
🌟 Recognised among the promising young players of Olympiacos Women’s inaugural squad
Professionnal Activities
- Sports Service Officer, Uerschterhaff Prison, Luxembourg (since 2022) — responsible for the coordination and delivery of inmate sports activities, equipment management, schedule planning, and cross-departmental collaboration within the prison setting.
- Former contributor to the High Performance Training and Recovery Centre, Coque — Luxembourg’s national sports and leisure centre.
- Former member of the Elite Athlete Unit, Luxembourg Army.
- Supports improved post-career transition pathways for professional athletes.
Portfolio
📍 Luxembourg — Sport at Uerschterhaff Prison
Since joining the sports service at Uerschterhaff Prison in 2022, Marie has brought a unique combination of elite athletic experience and personal empathy to a setting where sport can make a profound difference. Inmates are free to choose their own activities — a deliberate approach aimed at restoring agency and dignity — while Marie and her colleagues supervise, guide, and support their physical development.
Her role extends beyond the coordination of sports activities to include schedule management, equipment oversight, and collaboration across prison departments in a complex environment where structure, precision, and trust are essential.
Having experienced the challenges of life after elite sport firsthand, Marie has developed a strong awareness of the importance of support, structure, and purpose — both in athlete transition and in environments where wellbeing and rehabilitation matter.
📍 Luxembourg — Post-Career Transition Advocacy
Marie’s transition out of elite judo was marked by a period of isolation and limited institutional support — an experience that shaped her understanding of the challenges many athletes face after retirement. Having spent years being told that opportunities would follow the end of her sporting career, she found the transition far less structured than expected. This experience strengthened her awareness of the importance of guidance, stability, and meaningful engagement during periods of change.
Her professional path — from the elite sports section of the Luxembourg Army to the Coque national sports centre and, ultimately, the prison service — reflects a deliberate search for environments where her experience, discipline, and values can contribute in a meaningful way.
