Daniel Romanchuk Wins Men’s Wheelchair Race, Ending Marcel Hug’s 3-Year Streak at New York Marathon

Daniel Romanchuk made history on Sunday by winning the men’s wheelchair race at the New York Marathon, thereby ending Marcel Hug‘s three-year reign as champion. Hug, a Swiss athlete nicknamed the “Silver Bullet,” had been on an impressive streak, winning 16 consecutive marathons, including a gold medal at this year’s Paris Paralympics and a victory at the Chicago Marathon just weeks prior.

The race was closely contested, with Hug part of the leading group for the initial 15 miles. However, his momentum was disrupted when a competitor accidentally clipped his wheelchair, hindering his speed. This incident opened up the competition, turning it into a tight battle among Romanchuk, David Weir, and Tomoki Suzuki. As they approached the final mile, all three were within a second of each other. Romanchuk, a previous champion in 2018, surged ahead to finish in 1 hour, 36 minutes, and 31 seconds.

David Weir, the runner-up in 2021 and the winner in 2010, crossed the finish line just 5 seconds behind Romanchuk. Tomoki Suzuki secured third place with a time of 1:36:43. Marcel Hug concluded the race in fourth place, finishing 3 minutes and 38 seconds behind the champion.

In the women’s wheelchair division, Susannah Scaroni dominated the competition, marking her second victory in this event after also winning in 2022.