PARIS (AP) — 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.
The 29-year-old El Idrissi finished in 2 hours, 48 minutes and 36 seconds on Sunday, beating the previous record from Japan’s Misato Michishita in Hofu City in December 2020 by nearly 6 minutes.
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Compatriot Meryem En-Nourhi was just over 9 minutes behind, followed by Elena Congost of Spain, with Michishita fourth, almost 15 minutes behind the winner.
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 United States’ 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.
More medals were to be awarded later Sunday before what artistic director Thomas Jolly said would be a huge dance party at Stade de France for the closing ceremony.
The United States women’s wheelchair basketball team was to play defending champion Netherlands for gold, and there were finals in para powerlifting, as well as five races in para canoe.
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AP Paralympics: https://apnews.com/hub/paralympic-games
