Debrunner and Hug win London wheelchair races again
Catherine Debrunner beat her own course record by more than four minutes to win the women's wheelchair race
- Published
Catherine Debrunner put in a stunning performance to break her own course record as she and Marcel Hug made it a Swiss double for the second year running in the London Marathon wheelchair races.
Debrunner finished in a time of one hour 34 minutes 18 seconds, more than four minutes quicker than her previous best in London three years ago and just two seconds outside her world record time.
After battling it out at the front with Boston Marathon winner Susannah Scaroni of the US for the first half of the race, Debrunner pulled clear in the final third to win by nearly four minutes.
It is the third time Debrunner has won the race, after triumphs in 2022 and 2024.
"It makes me super proud. I have a good match with this course and I was really looking forward to the race," she told the BBC.
"We had a super strong field. It was perfect weather for me, I like it when it's warm. The crowd were really loud which helped."
In the men's wheelchair race, fellow Paralympic champion Hug surged to his seventh victory in London - and fifth in a row - in 1:25:25.
A four-second gap was established by the 10km mark and although Japan's Tomoki Suzuki managed to keep the Swiss great within his sights for a time, eventually Hug was able to leave him trailing.
Suzuki did hold on to finish second with the Netherlands' Jetze Plat in third.
"I broke away from the group early and then it was like a time trial, it was really tough," Hug said. "But I enjoyed it with the crowd and everything. It was really fantastic.
"I felt the presence [of Suzuki] a lot. I tried to push as much as possible. It was really tough but luckily the last few kilometres, I didn't see him anymore and I felt more comfortable then."
Great Britain's eight-time winner David Weir, competing in the event for the 26th straight year, finished sixth.
Eden Rainbow-Cooper was the top Briton in the women's race as she crossed the line in fourth.
Marcel Hug won the men's wheelchair race for the fifth year in a row
London Marathon: Women's wheelchair race results
Catherine Debrunner (Swi) - 1:34:18
Susannah Scaroni (USA) - 1:38:08
Manuela Schar (Swi) - 1:41:06
London Marathon: Men's wheelchair race results
Marcel Hug (Swi) - 1:25:25
Tomoki Suzuki (Jap) - 1:26:09
Jetze Plat (Ned) - 1:26:49