Centro de medios de NYRR

Catherine Debrunner made her mark on road racing for the first time last year by taking surprise titles at both the Berlin and London Marathons. Berlin marked her first career marathon, and in taking the tape she broke Manuela Schär’s streak of five Berlin Marathon victories and in London, she broke the course record. In 2022, she also broke four world records – 100, 200, 400, and 800 meters – at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix in her hometown of Nottwil, Switzerland, over the span of three days.

In 2023 thus far, she broke the women's wheelchair division world record at the Berlin Marathon (1:34:16) and she made the podium in all five of her events at the World Para Athletics Championships, taking home four golds and a silver on the track. She was also named the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year and was third in her United Airlines NYC Half debut.

Debrunner represented Switzerland on the track at both the Tokyo 2020 and Rio 2016 Paralympics, winning gold in the 400 meters and bronze in the 800 meters in Tokyo. She also owns another world championship medal from 2019, having won gold in the 400 meters.

Debrunner was born with a birth defect in her spine and took up wheelchair racing when she was eight. She is currently coached by Arno Mul, who also coaches Jetze Plat. Debrunner previously worked as a primary school teacher up until 2021 when she quit her job to focus on track and field full time. She has said eating a bite of chocolate every day is a small secret to her success.