Marcel Hug and Catherine Debrunner sealed gold for Switzerland in the men’s and women’s Paralympic T54 marathons in Paris, capping a hugely successful Games for the pair.
It was Debrunner’s fifth gold medal of the championship and sixth in total after 100m silver, surpassing the four Hug won in Tokyo in 2021, while Hug added the gold to two silvers and a bronze collected on the track in the 2024 Games.
Hug took command of the men’s race after the halfway mark,eventually beating silver medalist Jin Hua of China by more than three minutes.Suzuki Tomoki of Japan was four seconds behind Hua for bronze.
Debrunner’s margin of victory was even more comprehensive, finishing almost five minutes ahead of Australia’s Madison de Rozario, who adds marathon silver to the gold she won in Tokyo in 2021.
The USA’s Susannah Scaroni secured bronze ahead of Manuela Schär.
The Paralympic race is an additional scoring race in Series XVI of the Abbott World Marathon Majors.
Hug's win sees him leapfrog Daniel Romanchuk to take the lead after four events, while Schär remains in the lead on 69 in the women's table, with Debrunner now in second place after adding 25 points in Paris to her London victory.
In a Paralympic year, wheelchair athletes' best five scores across the six Majors and the Paralympic marathon will count towards their final total.
The BMW BERLIN-MARATHON on September 29 will be the next opportunity to collect points, with the Bank of America Chicago Marathon following on October 13 and the finale to the Majors season the TCS New York City Marathon on November 3.
Men’s top 10
1. Marcel Hug (SUI) 1:27:39
2. Jin Hua (CHN) 1:31:19
3. Suzuki Tomoki (JPN) 1:31:23
4. Daniel Romanchuk (USA) 1:32:23
5. David Weir (GBR) 1:33:27
6. Luo Xingchuan (CHN) 1:36:20
7. Aaron Pike (USA) 1:36:23
8. Yoshida Ryota (JPN) 1:37:15
9. Jetze Plat (NED) 1:39:47
10. Francisco Sanclemente (COL) 1:46:27
Women’s top 10
1. Catherine Debrunner (SUI) 1:41:50
2. Madison de Rozario (AUS) 1:46:13
3. Susannah Scaroni (USA) 1:46:29
4. Manuela Schär (SUI) 1:49:22
5. Zhou Zhaoqian (CHN) 1:52:09
6. Tsuchida Wakako (JPN) 1:52:39
7. Tatyana McFadden (USA) 1:53:52
8. Aline dos Santos Rocha (BRA) 1:53:54
9. Merle Marie Menje (GER) 1:55:54
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