Swiss athletes grab marathon double gold at Paralympics

With her marathon victory on Sunday, Catherine Debrunner has finished the Paris Games with a haul of six medals – five of them gold. Associated Press

Catherine Debrunner secured her fifth gold medal of this year’s Paralympics with a victory in the women’s wheelchair marathon on Sunday, while Marcel Hug took gold in the men’s race. Overall, the Swiss squad well exceeded its medals target at the Paris Games.

Before her victory on Sunday, 29-year-old Debrunner had already won in the 400, 800, 1,500 and 5,000 metres events at the Games. For 38-year-old Hug, it was the third time in a row he had won the 42-kilometre event at the Paralympics.

With the marathons marking the last events in Paris, the Swiss delegation ended the Games with a total of 21 medals: eight gold, eight silver and five bronze. The minimum target, to do at least as well as in Tokyo in 2021 (14 medals, including seven gold), was well exceeded.

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Debrunner’s exploits were the big Swiss talking point in Paris: along with her haul of five gold medals, the athlete suffered just one “setback”, winning silver in the 100 metres.

On Sunday, the four-time 2023 world champion dominated the T53/54 wheelchair marathon, quickly finding herself alone and well in the lead (16 seconds ahead of her chasers after just five kilometres). She crossed the finish line in 1:41:50, 4:23 ahead of title-holder Madison De Rozario of Australia.

Bronze went to US athlete Susannah Scaroni. Manuela Schär, the second-best Swiss finisher, finished 4th, almost three minutes off the podium. The 39-year-old from Lucerne has won two medals in Paris, including a title in the 800 metres, where she competed in a different category to Debrunner.

Hat-trick for Hug

Hug, who won four titles in Tokyo, had to make do with just one in Paris. His marathon gold was, however, his third in a row. Overall the athlete has now won 16 Paralympic medals, including seven gold.

Pipped to the post in the 800 metres (3rd), 1,500 metres (2nd) and 5,000 metres (2nd), Hug made sure to not allow the same to happen in the marathon, with the world record-holder leading from start to finish on Sunday morning.

The only Swiss competitor in this men’s event, Hug found himself alone just before the halfway mark, dropping the only rival who tried to keep pace with him, Jin Hua from China. He won in a time of 1:27:39 – 3:40 ahead of Hua and 3:44 over Japan’s Tomoki Suzuki.

Adapted from French by DeepL/dos

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