Paris 2024: Catherine Debrunner flies to gold and Paralympic record

It was a morning of unexpected joy for Catherine Debrunner at the Stade de France on Saturday morning (31 August) as the Swiss outsprinted defending champion and world record holder Susannah Scaroni of USA to take gold in the women’s 5000m T54 final in a Paralympic record. 

The pair broke clear of the pack halfway through a race loaded with wheelchair racing heavyweights. Debrunner pulled away in the home straight to clock 10:43.62, almost nine seconds faster than Scaroni’s mark from the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

“It’s amazing. It was a tough push to stay ahead of Susannah (Scaroni). It was a tough race but the crowd helped me,” said the Swiss wheelchair racer, who will be competing in other five events at Paris 2024.

“Once I knew we were alone I was really happy because I knew I was second or first. But then she went really fast for the last 600m so I stayed behind her. Somehow, I had some energy left at the end. It was amazing to be first. I have never competed in such a huge stadium. It’s only the morning, but it’s pretty full. It’s awesome,” Debrunner added.

Defending champion Fleur Jong was in record-breaking form too in the women’s long jump T64, extending her own T62 Paralympic record three times in her six jumps. Netherlands took silver too, thanks to Marlene van Gansewinkel. 

Jong revealed she was anxious to be able to ring the Notre Dame bell at the side of the track as a Paralympic champion.

“It’s amazing. I saw the bell (rung by gold medallists) at the Olympic Games, and I was secretly dreaming about having the chance to ring that bell myself. And today was the day I got to do it,” Jong said.

China’s Zhao Yuping broke her own world record to win the women’s javelin F13, adding a first Paralympic title to her four world crowns. Yassine Ouhdadi El Ataby  took gold in an incident-packed men’s 5000m T13 final giving Spain its first gold in Para athletics at Paris 2024.

The French crowd went ecstatic as Antonie Praud won the host nation’s first medal in Para athletics finishing with bronze in the men’s 1500m T46 – gold to neutral Para athlete Aleksandr Iaremchuk.

“I could hear the crowd and I knew I had to give it my all. Everything went almost the way I wanted it to, and that's just crazy,” Praud said. “I'd already seen what it was like in the Stade de France at the Olympics and when I went out on to the track, there was an incredible noise. I took all the positive energy from the crowd, which helped me more than anything, especially in the last few metres.”

Imagen

All medallists of the day two morning session at Paris 2024 can be found below.

Women’s javelin F13 Final
Gold: Zhao Yuping (China)
Silver: Anna Kulinich-Sorokina (NPA)
Bronze: Natalija Eder (Austria)

Men's Shot Put F12 Final
Gold: Elbek Sultonov (Uzbekistan)
Silver: Volodymyr Ponomarenko (Ukraine)
Bronze: Roman Danyliuk (Ukraine)

Women's Discus Throw F57 Final
Gold: Nassima Saifi (Algeria)
Silver: Xu Mian (China)
Bronze: Mokhigul Khamdamova (Uzbekistan)

Men's 5000m T13 Final
Gold: Yassine Ouhdadi El Ataby  (Spain)
Silver: Aleksandr Kostin (NPA)
Bronze: Anton Kuliatin (NPA)

Women's 5000m T54 Final
Gold: Catherine Debrunner (Switzerland)
Silver: Susannah Scaroni (USA)
Bronze: Madison de Rozario (Australia)

Men's 1500m T46 Final
Gold: Aleksandr Iaremchuk (NPA)
Silver: Michael Roeger (Australia)
Bronze: Antonie Praud (France) 

Women's Long Jump T64 Final
Gold: Fleur Jong (the Netherlands)
Silver: Marlene van Gansewinkel (the Netherlands)
Bronze: B Hatz (USA)