Paralympics: No medal – Merle Menje finishes seventh in the 5000 meter final

“It really hurts”: Racing wheelchair athlete Merle Menje did not get beyond seventh place in the 5000 meter final. When Catherine Debrunner from Switzerland won on Saturday (31.08.2024), the German para-athlete had already lost touch early on and had no chance of making it into the top three places.

The race began with an accident. Eden Rainbow-Cooper (Great Britain) fell in a crush shortly after the start, the race was stopped and restarted – with the Briton. The start worked on the second attempt.

Menje quickly loses touch

Debrunner attacked immediately and ensured that a group of six riders, of which Menje was not a part, took the lead. In the slipstream of Shauna Bocquet (Ireland), the 20-year-old tried to fight her way back, but was unsuccessful.

At the Para World Championships in Kobe this year, Menje won silver in the 5000 metres, but now it was becoming clear that this success could not be repeated. Also because some top athletes who were not there showed their class at the Paralympics.

Debrunner wins, Menje disappointed

This included world record holder Susannah Scaroni and Debrunner, who fought together at the front for victory. The duo overtook Menje shortly before the start of the last lap and sprinted for gold. Scaroni attacked, but the Swiss countered and ultimately secured the victory ahead of her American competitor.

Madison de Rozario came third. Menje came in seventh with a time of 11:49.97 minutes, 1:06.37 minutes behind the winner and almost 40 seconds behind the bronze medalist. “That hurts a lot, that was definitely not what I wanted”said Menje in the Sportschau interview. “I lacked a little bit of strength to be at the front. It hurts that I couldn’t have a say at the front, not even a little bit.”

The German racing athlete still has three opportunities to do better. Menje will compete in the 800 and 1500 meters as well as in the marathon.

With saved energy into the final

The day before, Menje had confidently reached the final and was even able to take it easy. A leading group around the German athlete had broken away early on, so it was possible for her to slow down a bit. “It was about doing it in the most energy-efficient way possible. “It went quite well, a nice rainy opening race”said Menje.