5 Facts About...Marcel Hug

Swiss wheelchair racer Marcel Hug will go for gold at next month’s World Para Athletics Championships in the T54 class. Here’s what you need to know about the multiple Paralympic and world champion nicknamed the ‘Silver Bullet’.

Five Facts About Marcel Hug

1) Hug won an unprecedented six consecutive major marathon titles in 2016 – he won in Boston and London in April, then took Paralympic marathon gold in Rio in September, followed by victories in Berlin, Chicago and New York.

2) The 31-year-old has competed in four Paralympic Games but didn’t win his first Paralympic gold medal until Rio 2016. He finished first in the 800m T54 before adding marathon gold too.

3) London 2017 will be his sixth World Championships – he has won seven world titles in his career so far.

4) Hug has trained with the same coach, Paul Odermatt, since 1996 when he began racing. 5

5) He was named the 2016 Para Sportsperson of the Year at the Credit Suisse Sports Awards in Zurich, Switzerland. He also won the award in 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2015.