Five Marathons for Marcel Hug in 2022. Five victories for Marcel Hug in 2022. The Swiss Silver Bullet couldn’t be stopped this year, claiming first place in every race he competed in, in what turned out to be a phenomenal year for him.
His domination of this year’s series looked likely from his first race in Tokyo where he romped to a win by nearly seven minutes ahead of his nearest challenger, whilst also taking the sprint points too for good measure. But it was in the Autumn races where Hug really showed his class. His win in Berlin, his seventh in the German capital, was a masterclass in wheelchair racing, leading from early on against a formidable pack.
He followed up that performance a week later with victory in London, crossing the finish line in front of Buckingham Palace in a final corner sprint against his great rival Daniel Romanchuk. Speaking after the race, Hug described it as “the toughest race I’ve had in a long time.” The pair met again in Chicago where Romanchuk beat Hug in 2021, but there was to be no repeat, with Hug taking first place with a course record time of 1:25:20.
It meant that the final race of the year in New York City would be merely a coronation, with Hug having already amassed enough points to seal the Abbott World Marathon Majors Series XIV title. But he didn’t disappoint the crowds in Central Park, taking his fifth win of the year in a course record time and rounding off a truly stellar 2022.
