Swiss Domination: Debrunner and Hug Win London Marathon Wheelchair Races

⁢ Updated May 28, 2025

London⁢ – Catherine Debrunner delivered a record-breaking performance at the London Marathon, while Marcel Hug secured another victory, marking a second consecutive ⁢year of Swiss dominance in the wheelchair ⁢races. Debrunner’s stunning run saw her obliterate her own ⁣course record.

Debrunner completed the course in 1 hour, 34 minutes, and 18 seconds, shaving more than four minutes off her previous London best from three years ago. Her time was just two seconds shy of her own⁢ world record.The wheelchair race saw ‍debrunner and Susannah Scaroni, the Boston‍ Marathon champion from the U.S.,⁢ battling for the lead early on. Debrunner ⁤then surged ahead ⁢in the final stretch, securing ⁢a decisive victory by nearly four minutes. This marks Debrunner’s third London Marathon ‍title, adding to her wins in 2022 ⁤and 2024.

“It makes me super proud,” debrunner said. “I have a good match with this course and I was ‍really looking forward to the race. 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, Hug, also a Paralympic champion, claimed his seventh London victory, his fifth in a row, with a time of 1:25:25. Hug established an early lead, opening a four-second gap by⁤ the 10-kilometer mark.Tomoki Suzuki of Japan kept Hug within sight for⁢ a while, but Hug ultimately pulled away. Suzuki finished second, followed by Jetze Plat of the Netherlands 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 kilometers, I didn’t see him anymore and ‍I felt more comfortable then.”

David ⁢Weir of Great Britain,an eight-time london Marathon winner,finished sixth in his 26th consecutive appearance at the event. Eden Rainbow-Cooper was the highest-placing British woman, finishing fourth.

What’s next

Both Debrunner and Hug are expected to continue their seasons with upcoming international competitions, aiming to maintain their dominance in wheelchair racing and further ⁤improve their times.