Debrunner serves up world record bonanza in spectacular Nottwil 2023 GP

The Nottwil 2023 Grand Prix wrapped up the season in spectacular fashion with a whopping total of ten new world record* times set on the notoriously fast track in the Swiss Stacherholz stadium.

Some athletes might feel the pressure of performing in front of their own fans, but Switzerland’s Paralympic stars Catherine Debrunner and Marcel Hug were simply unstoppable during three action-packed days on home soil. 

Debrunner repeated an incredible feat by claiming four new world records* in her home GP, cutting down three of the four world records she set during last year’s edition in Nottwil in the process. 

On the opening day of action, Debrunner stormed to a blistering start and put in metres between herself and her rivals to become the first female athlete to go under 01:40 in the 800m T53 event, clocking a new world record time of 01:38.91.

She went on to smash yet another of her own world records the next day in the 400m T53 with a superb time of 50.14, moments before an incredible race in the 5000m T53-T54.

Debrunner stunned Paralympic champion Susannah Scaroni of the United States and rivalling compatriot Manuela Schaer, the European record holder, to claim gold in 10:53.12 – this time only just outside of the world record (10:38.46 set by Scaroni at the Nottwil 2022 GP).

She ended the GP season ever so impressively with two more world records in the 100m T53 and the 1500m T3, powering away from the field to clock 15.25 and 03:12.03 respectively.

Hug goes from strength to strength

Switzerland’s six-time Paralympic champion Marcel Hug has also been in a league of his own this year and delivered once more in Nottwil. 

Hug snatched the world records in the men’s 800m T54 (1:28.13*) and the 5000m T54 (9:15.26*) in his home GP. 

In what was a truly spectacular race, Hug demonstrated his dominance in the 5000m and clocked the quickest time in history to fend off Britain’s Danny Sidbury, who bravely kept up with the pace to finish inside the previous world record as well, in 9:15.74. 

The 29-year-old Sidbury has definitely llaid down his marker for the World Championships in the final GP of the season, also winning the 400m T54 with a personal best of 45.89; his first sub-46 second time of his career.  

Britain’s Hannah Cockroft showed she is in top form on the track this season too. Fresh from a women’s 200m T34 world record, breaking her own time in 28.90 at the Swiss National Championships last weekend, she also improved her world record set at Tokyo 2020 in the 100m T34.

Cockroft lowered the mark in the sprint distance by recording an astonishing time of 16.31* on what is truly one of the fastest athletics track in the world. 

That was only moments before Tanja Henseler of Switzerland had smashed the world record in the women’s 100m T52 as she clocked 18.33* in what has truly been a relentless world record rush in Nottwil. 

Paralympic champion Salum Kashafali of Norway demonstrated as much, as he produced a lightning-fast race to smash Jason Smyth’s world record in the men’s 100m T13 set at London 2012 with a time of 10.43*. 

And what about Fleur Jong? The Dutch speedster lowered her own world record in the women’s 100m T62 to 12.40*, putting her rivals on notice during the closing meet of the season ahead of the Championships. 

Together with all athletes we indeed start to shift our attention to the most prestigious tournament of the year, the Paris 2023 World Championships. 

Paris 23 takes place at the Charlety Stadium in the French capital from 8 to 17 July and features medal events (93 in the men’s category, 77 in the women’s category and 1 in the mixed category).

Complete results from the Nottwil 2023 Grand Prix can be found here.

*World records subject to ratification by World Para Athletics.