Catherine Debrunner experiences historic Paralympics in Paris, winning five gold medals and one silver. Now the 29-year-old from Thurgau has been named Paralympic Sportswoman of the Year for the first time.
06.01.2025, 04:20
SDA
At the Stade de France in Paris, the winning athletes at the Paralympics were given the honor of ringing a bell after their race. With one exception, Catherine Debrunner was always ready to provide the musical accompaniment to their triumph. She won gold in the 400, 800, 1500 and 5000 m races as well as the final marathon. She also won a silver medal in the 100 m sprint race.
A Swiss athlete has never been more successful at a Paralympic Games. Only the Chinese swimmer Yuyan Jiang took home more precious metal from the French metropolis with seven gold medals.
This shows that Debrunner, a trained primary school teacher who has only been competing professionally since spring 2022, has long been one of the athletics elite, not just in Switzerland but globally. And while other female athletes in athletics focus on individual track distances, the athlete from Eastern Switzerland competes in races over short, medium and long distances. And is always among the contenders for victory.
It is this versatility and adaptability that make Debrunner's dominance on the athletics scene even more impressive. In 2019, Debrunner decided to work with Dutch coach Arno Mul and regularly commuted thousands of kilometers between Switzerland and the Netherlands for training. This decision has paid off for her, as she now holds world records in the 100, 200, 400, 800 and 1500 m as well as in the marathon.
