Catherine Debrunner wins her third gold medal.
Image: Keystone
Manuela Schär crashes and is unable to compete for the medals.
Image: Keystone
Catherine Debrunner wins her third gold medal.
Image: Keystone
Manuela Schär crashes and is unable to compete for the medals.
Image: Keystone
Catherine Debrunner is the first Swiss woman to win three gold medals at the same Paralympics. The athlete from Thurgau experiences historic Games in Paris. But Manuela Schär's fall dampened her joy.
No time? blue Sport summarizes for you
- Catherine Debrunner races to her third gold medal at the Paralympics in Paris.
- Debrunner is the first Swiss woman to win three gold medals at the same Paralympics.
- After Tuesday's victory, Debrunner speaks of "mixed feelings". Team-mate Manuela Schär collided with an opponent and had to withdraw from the medal race after a fall.
As Catherine Debrunner stands in the corridor leading to the catacombs of the Stade de France, she could be unreservedly happy. After all, she has won gold again in the 1500 m, as she did in the 5000 m and 800 m. Again with a Paralympic record.
But when the microphones are pointed at her, there is something that makes her speak of "mixed feelings". Because in this rainy race on the slippery track, there was also the fall of her teammate Manuela Schär, who collided with China's Zhou Zhaoqian just at the start of the last lap. "I'm experiencing a chaos of emotions right now," says the Thurgau native.
Schär herself uses similar words after having to digest another disappointment following her gold medal in the 800 m, which was a great liberation for her. She speaks of an "annoying and unnecessary mistake". She had left the Chinese athlete too little space, and because they had not activated the regulator on her front wheel at the same time, they collided.
The 39-year-old from Lucerne, who is completing her last track races in Paris, appears surprisingly calm and collected. And she doesn't lose her sense of humor even after such incidents when she sends her congratulations to her teammate with a laugh. "Mega cool, Catherine won. Unfortunately, I had other problems at the time."
Sleep a lot, win a lot
Debrunner had imagined the race to go differently and "never" expected to stay in front the whole time. However, when she realized that no one wanted to go to the front and take the lead, she adjusted her tactics and controlled the race from the front.
"I'm over the moon and proud that it worked out," says Debrunner, who is not even aware that she has achieved something historic. She is the first Swiss woman to win three gold medals at the same Paralympics. "I'm not so good with statistics, but of course I'm extremely honored. There have been so many good wheelchair athletes in Switzerland. To be the first to achieve something is a huge honor for me."
But how does the 29-year-old manage not only to be ready every day despite the strict program, but also to break records? Debrunner says that she consciously takes a step back in everything that doesn't relate to her sport. She only gives a few interviews, focuses on recovery after her duties in the Stade de France and sleeps a lot. "I have the gold medals on my bedside table. Maybe that's why I sleep so well," she says and laughs.
Switching to short distances
On Wednesday, Catherine Debrunner takes a detour into the short distances with the 100 m race. At last year's World Championships, she won silver over this distance. "It's quite a change from tactical races to sprint races," says Debrunner. "But I have some time to prepare." After that, the 400 m and finally the marathon are on the program. Debrunner has a chance of winning everywhere. Hopefully the bedside table is big enough.
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