by Morocco’s Fatima Ezzahra El Idrissi set a new world record in the women’s marathon for visually impaired runners at the close of the Paris Paralympics on Sunday as China topped the medal table ahead of Britain and the United States.
Morocco’s Fatima Ezzahra El Idrissi broke the world record for visually impaired runners in the women’s marathon on the final day of the Paralympic Games.
El Idrissi finished in 2 hours, 48 minutes and 36 seconds on Sunday, beating the previous record set by Japan’s Misato Michishita in Hofu City in December 2020 by almost 6 minutes.
“I wasn’t racing for a time, just for a medal,” said the 29-year-old Moroccan. “I wasn’t looking to break the world record, just to get gold, and now I have both.”
Her compatriot Meryem En-Nourhi was just over 9 minutes behind, followed by Michishita, almost 15 minutes behind the winner.
Elena Congost thought she had won bronze, but the Spanish runner was later disqualified for letting go of her guide, Mia Carol Bruguera,’s lead before the finish.
Michishita only found out she had been promoted to bronze after a doping test.
“I couldn’t believe it,” said the Japanese runner, who said she was injured after winning the last edition in Tokyo and was unsure if she would be able to race in Paris.
Tunisian Wajdi Boukhili won the men’s T12 marathon.
Boukhili, 25, finished in 2 hours, 22 minutes and 5 seconds, ahead of Spaniard Alberto Suarez Laso and Morocco’s El Amin Chentouf, the Paralympic record holder. All three clocked their best times of the season.
Swiss wheelchair racers Catherine Debrunner and Marcel Hug won the women’s and men’s marathons in the T53/54 categories.
Read more on FRANCE 24 English
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