Whether on the middle and long distance racetracks or on the asphalt of marathons, Marcel Hug’s opponents usually don’t have time to look at the colour of his car. But at the Paris Games, the man nicknamed “Silver Bullet” (a reference to the colour of his chair) lived up to his name. He was beaten, to everyone’s surprise, in his first two events: the 5,000m by American Daniel Romanchuk and the 1,500m by Chinese Hua Jin.
The 38-year-old from Thurgau, born with spina bifida – a malformation linked to a defect in the formation of the vertebral arches – still has six Paralympic crowns to his name, the first of which was won in 2016. He hopes to add to his tally this year. He will compete in the 800m on Thursday 5 September, and, who knows, double the stakes in the marathon, which he competes in the T54 category (wheelchair athletes who have full use of their body with moderate to severe limitation of leg movement, or absence of limbs), two days later. In Tokyo in 2021, Marcel Hug won a quadruplet.
“In a wheelchair, it is possible to compete over different distances in a short time. Our muscles are not used in the same way. The movements are a bit like those of Nordic skiing.”explains the man who also has twenty-four marathon successes between 2011 and 2024, notably in the prestigious races of Berlin, London, Chicago, New York and Boston.
“It’s working very well for me right now. He said, prophetically, Worldearly July. But you never know what could happen. To win, you need a lot of positive parameters. Every victory is special, and even more so during the Games, which are the most important competition for us. »
Technological advancement
Since 2021, Marcel Hug has been riding in a 100% carbon harness, designed in collaboration with technicians from the Swiss Formula 1 team, Sauber. “I had the opportunity to give them my opinion and feedback, he says. I tried it throughout the process to improve it. It’s a great experience to work with such engineers, who considered me a professional athlete. »
The gap with older models of racing chairs is huge. “The result is incredible. It is more aerodynamic and there is less energy loss.”The athlete explains. The maximum speed that the machine can reach, propelled by the force of the arm, is impressive: 38 km/h on the track. “It’s the same device, only the tires change.” Marcel Hug is also the world record holder in the wheelchair marathon: 1 h 17 min 47, a mark set on November 21, 2021 in Oita (Japan).
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