Marcel Hug facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Marcel Hug

Hug preparing himself before the 2014 Paris Marathon
Personal information
Birth name	Marcel Eric Hug
Nickname(s)	The Silver Bullet
Born	(1986-01-16) 16 January 1986 (age 39) Pfyn, Thurgau, Switzerland
Years active	2005–present
Sport
Disability	Spinal cord injuries
Disability class	T54
Club	RC Zentralschweiz RC Thurgau
Turned pro	2010
Coached by	Paul Odermatt
Achievements and titles
Paralympic finals	2004 2008 2012 2016
Medal record Men's para athletics Representing  Switzerland Event 1st 2nd 3rd Paralympic Games 7 5 3 World Championships 12 9 1 European Championships 6 0 1 Paralympic Games Gold 2020 Tokyo Marathon T54 Gold 2020 Tokyo 800 m T54 Gold 2020 Tokyo 1500 m T54 Gold 2020 Tokyo 5000 m T54 Gold 2016 Rio Marathon T54 Gold 2016 Rio 800 m T54 Gold 2024 Paris Marathon T54 Silver 2016 Rio 1500 m T54 Silver 2016 Rio 5000 m T54 Silver 2012 London 800 m T54 Silver 2012 London Marathon T54 Silver 2024 Paris 1500 m T54 Silver 2024 Paris 5000 m T54 Bronze 2004 Athens 800 m T54 Bronze 2004 Athens 1500 m T54 Bronze 2024 Paris 800 m T54 World Championships Gold 2006 Assen 10000 m T54 Gold 2011 Christchurch 10000 m T54 Gold 2013 Lyon 400 m T54 Gold 2013 Lyon 1500 m T54 Gold 2013 Lyon 5000 m T54 Gold 2013 Lyon 10000 m T54 Gold 2013 Lyon Marathon T54 Gold 2017 London 800 m T54 Gold 2017 London 1500 m T54 Gold 2023 Paris 800 m T54 Gold 2023 Paris 1500 m T54 Gold 2023 Paris 5000 m T54 Silver 2006 Assen 400 m T54 Silver 2006 Assen 800 m T54 Silver 2006 Assen 5000 m T54 Silver 2011 Christchurch 400 m T54 Silver 2011 Christchurch 800 m T54 Silver 2011 Christchurch 1500 m T54 Silver 2011 Christchurch 5000 m T54 Silver 2013 Lyon 800 m T54 Silver 2015 Doha 5000 m T54 Bronze 2015 Doha 800 m T54 European Championships Gold 2014 Swansea 800 m T54 Gold 2014 Swansea 1500 m T54 Gold 2014 Swansea 5000 m T54 Gold 2018 Berlin 800 m T54 Gold 2018 Berlin 1500 m T54 Gold 2018 Berlin 5000 m T54 Bronze 2014 Swansea 400 m T54

Marcel Eric Hug (born January 16, 1986) is an amazing Paralympic athlete from Switzerland. He competes in track and field events, specifically T54 wheelchair racing. People call him 'The Silver Bullet' because he's so fast!

Marcel has taken part in many Summer Paralympic Games for Switzerland. He won two bronze medals at his first Games in Athens in 2004. In 2010, he set four new world records in just four days! At the 2011 World Championships, he won a gold medal in the 10,000 meters and four silver medals. He often competed against his rival, David Weir.

This friendly rivalry continued at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, where Marcel won two silver medals. At the 2013 World Championships, he was incredible, winning five gold medals and one silver. In the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio, Marcel was a top performer. He won two gold medals (in the 800m and marathon) and two silver medals (in the 1500m and 5000m).

Besides his many track medals, Marcel is also a world-class marathon racer. He has won many major marathons around the world. These include the Berlin (multiple times), New York City (multiple times), London (multiple times), Chicago (multiple times), and Boston Marathon (multiple times). He even set a course record at the Boston Marathon!

Marcel Hug's Amazing Career

Early Life and First Races

Marcel Hug was born in 1986 in a Swiss town called Pfyn. He was born with spina bifida, a condition that affects the spine. Marcel grew up on a farm and was the youngest of four brothers.

When he was young, Marcel met Franz Nietlispach, a famous Swiss wheelchair racer who became his hero. This meeting made Marcel want to try athletics. When he was ten, a sports teacher gave him an old racing wheelchair. That same year, Marcel entered his first wheelchair race, a 3 km youth race. He won! This win inspired him to keep racing. He then joined the Swiss Paraplegic Centre in Nottwil and started training with Paul Odermatt, who became his coach.

Over the next few years, Marcel went from being a junior athlete to a top racer. He started competing in Switzerland and other countries. In 2001, he joined the athletics team for Wheelchair Sport Switzerland. He also got into a special sports school in Kreuzlingen. Marcel said being the only wheelchair athlete there was very important for his personal growth. In 2002, he decided to study at a school for employment and further education in Romanshorn. He believed that getting an education outside of sports was important for his future.

Becoming a World-Class Athlete

Marcel competed in his first big international event at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens. Even though he wasn't officially part of the national team yet, he was chosen to represent Switzerland. He raced in two team relay events but didn't make it to the finals.

As an individual, he competed in four races and made it to the finals in all of them. He didn't win medals in the 400m and 5000m. But he won two bronze medals in the 800m and 1500m races! When he came back from the Games, he was named "Newcomer of the Year 2004." The next year, he officially joined the Swiss national team.

In 2006, Marcel raced for Switzerland at the 2006 IPC Athletics World Championships in the Netherlands. There, he won his first major international gold medal in the men's 10,000m T54 race. He also won three silver medals in the 400m, 800m, and 5,000m. In the 400m, he lost to British racer David Weir. This was the start of a big rivalry between them in many races and marathons for years to come.

Paralympic Challenges and World Records

In 2008, Marcel went to Beijing for the Summer Paralympics. He competed in five events: the 400m, 800m, 1,500m, 5,000m, and the marathon. He later said these Games were a bit disappointing because he didn't win any medals. He even crashed out of the 1,500m and the marathon.

But things changed for Marcel in the next two years. In 2010, he had an amazing season. Between June 24 and 27, 2010, Marcel competed at a race in Switzerland. He set new world records in four T54 category events: the 800m, 1,500m, 5,000m, and 10,000m!

His next big competition was the 2011 IPC Athletics World Championship in New Zealand. Even though Marcel was the new world record holder, David Weir was also in great shape, getting ready for the 2012 Paralympics in London. Marcel bravely entered all eight events. He was disqualified from the shorter sprint races (100m and 200m). But in the 400m, he won a silver medal, finishing second to China's Liu Chengming.

In the 800m, 1,500m, and 5,000m, Marcel raced against David Weir in the finals. He couldn't beat Weir in these races and took silver medals in all three. Marcel still won a gold medal in the 10,000m, but he couldn't finish the marathon. It was during these championships that he got his famous nickname, 'The Silver Bullet,' because of the shiny silver helmet he always wears when racing.

In 2011, Marcel also won his first major city marathon, the 2011 Berlin Marathon.

Hug, in his trademark silver helmet challenges David Weir at the 2013 London Marathon

London 2012 and Beyond

The 2011 World Championships set the stage for the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London. Marcel entered five events and made it to the finals in all of them. In the 400m, he finished fifth. In the 800m, he won a silver medal, with David Weir taking the gold. In the 1,500m and 5,000m, he just missed out on medals, finishing fourth. In the marathon, the last race of the Paralympics, only one second separated the top three! Weir won gold, Marcel took silver, and Australia's Kurt Fearnley won bronze. Marcel finished 2012 by winning the 2012 Berlin Marathon again.

In 2013, David Weir decided not to compete at the 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships in Lyon. This gave Marcel a great chance, and he took it! He dominated the T54 track events. He entered six events and won gold in five of them: 400 meters, 1,500 meters, 5,000 meters, 10,000 meters, and the Marathon. The only person to beat him was Kim Gyu-Dae from South Korea, who won gold in the 800 meters, pushing Marcel to silver. In November 2013, Marcel raced in his fourth New York Marathon. In a very close race, he beat South Africa's Ernst Van Dyk to win the title.

On April 13, 2014, just a week after winning the Paris Marathon, Marcel entered the London Marathon. He beat his long-time rival Weir to win the men's wheelchair title. This was Marcel's first London Marathon win after finishing second in 2010, 2012, and 2013.

After finishing fourth in his previous attempts, Marcel finally won the Boston Marathon on April 20, 2015. He beat ten-time winner Ernst Van Dyk by more than six minutes! Later that year, Marcel competed in the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha. Many thought the main medals would be between Marcel and Weir. But Thailand's Rawat Tana surprised everyone by winning gold in both the 1500m and 5000m. Marcel finished fifth in the 1500m but won a silver in the 5000m. He also won a bronze medal in the 800m.

In 2016, Marcel won two big city marathons in just one week. On April 18, he won his second Boston Marathon. Six days later, he won his second London Marathon!

Marcel Hug near the halfway point of the Boston Marathon in 2018.

Rio 2016 and Continued Success

In 2016, Marcel qualified for his fourth straight Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro. He competed in four events at the 2016 Summer Paralympics and won medals in all of them! He earned two silver medals in the 1500m and 5000m races. Then, he won his first Paralympic gold medals: one in the 800m and another in the men's T54 marathon on the very last day.

After the Rio Games, Marcel kept competing in marathons around the world. In October, he won his first Chicago Marathon, beating Kurt Fearnley in a very close finish. In November, he won his second New York City Marathon, again in a photo finish against Kurt Fearnley.

In October 2022, Marcel won the 2022 London Marathon with a time of 1:24:38, just two seconds ahead of American racer Daniel Romanchuk. The next year, Marcel returned to the Chicago Marathon for his fourth win there. He even beat his own record with an amazing time of 1:22:37.

See also

In Spanish: Marcel Hug para niños