NEW YORK , Nov 7 (AP) — Madison de Rozario of Australia has won the New York City Marathon women’s wheelchair race, holding off past champions Tatyana McFadden and Manuela Schär for her first Big Apple victory.
The 27-year-old took gold over Schär at this year’s Tokyo Paralympic Marathon by just one second, but she blew away the field Sunday, winning by nearly three minutes at 1 hour, 51 minutes and 1 second. McFadden was second and Schär was third.
De Rozario, who developed transverse myelitis when she was 4, competed at New York for the third time. Her best finish had been fifth in 2017. She’s the first Australian to win the NYC Marathon.
Marcel Hug of Switzerland won the men’s wheelchair race for the fourth time, pulling away from the field early for his first title since 2017.
The 35-year-old added yet another prize to a remarkable year that included four gold medals at the Tokyo Paralympics, including in the marathon. He also won the Boston Marathon last month.
Hug, born with spina bifida, finished second to American Daniel Romanchuk in 2018 and ’19. The latter defeat came by just one second.
Hug finished in 1:31:24, more than 6 1/2 minutes ahead of Britain’s David Weir in second and Romanchuck in third.
The NYC Marathon is running its 50th edition after canceling in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The field was cut by about 40% to around 30,000 runners, with efforts made to maintain distance between competitors near the start and finish lines.