PARIS: Morocco’s Fatima Ezzahra El-Idrissi has smashed the world record in the women’s marathon for runners with visual impairments on the last day of the Paralympic Games.
El-Idrissi finished in 2 hours, 48 minutes and 36 seconds on Sunday, beating the previous record from Japan’s Mizato Michishita in Hofu City in December 2020 by nearly six minutes.
“I wasn’t running for a time, only for a medal,” the 29-year-old Moroccan said. “I wasn’t aiming to get the world record, just to get the gold, and now I have both.”
Compatriot Meryem En-Nourhi was just over 9 minutes behind, followed by Michishita, almost 15 minutes behind the winner.
Elena Congost thought she’d won bronze, but the Spanish runner was later disqualified for releasing the rope to her guide, Mia Carol Bruguera, before the finish.
Michishita only found out she was upgraded to bronze after doping control.
“I just couldn’t believe it,” said the Japanese runner, who said she got injured after winning the last edition in Tokyo and wasn’t certain she’d be able to race in Paris.
Tunisia’s Wajdi Boukhili won the men’s T12 marathon.
The 25-year-old Boukhili finished in 2 hours, 22 minutes and 5 seconds, ahead of Spain’s Alberto Suarez Laso and Paralympic record holder El Amin Chentouf of Morocco. All three ran season-best times.
Swiss wheelchair racers Catherine Debrunner and Marcel Hug won the women’s and men’s marathons for the T53/54 catagories.
Debrunner, the world record holder, finished in 1:41:50, more than four minutes ahead of Australia’s Madison de Rozario and the US’ Susannah Scaroni, who took silver and bronze, respectively.
Tatyana McFadden, the most decorated American wheelchair racer, was seventh, just over 12 minutes behind Debrunner. The 35-year-old leaves Paris with a silver medal from the 100 and bronze from the 4x100 universal relay.
Hug won the men’s race in 1:27:39, ahead of China’s Jin Hua and Tomoki Suzuki of Japan.
Dutch women defend gold in wheelchair basketball
The Netherlands’ women’s team defended its gold medal in wheelchair basketball with a 63-49 win over the United States in the final.
Bo Kramer contributed 23 points and Mariska Beijer 22 as the Dutch made their experience count before an appreciative crowd at a packed Bercy Arena.
Trailing 48-37 going into the fourth quarter, the American players clasped hands as they listened to coach Christina Schwab’s team-talk. Ixhelt Gonzalez lifted their hopes with 2 points on a break.
