Keystone
Catherine Debrunner is enjoying a historic Paralympic Games in Paris, winning five gold medals and one silver. The 29-year-old from Thurgau was named Paralympic Athlete of the Year for the first time.
At the Stade de France in Paris, the winning athletes of the Paralympic Games had the honor of ringing a bell after their race. With one exception, Catherine Debrunner was always ready to musically accompany her triumph. The Thurgau won gold in the 400, 800, 1500 and 5000 m as well as the final marathon. A silver medal was added to the 100m sprint.
Never has a Swiss athlete enjoyed so much success at the Paralympic Games. Only Chinese swimmer Yuyan Jiang has won the most precious metal from the French metropolis with seven gold medals.
This shows that Debrunner, a trained teacher who has only been professional since spring 2022, has long been part of the athletics elite not only in Switzerland but around the world. And while other track and field athletes focus on individual track distances, Eastern Switzerland competes in short, middle and long distance races. And still belongs to the group of contenders for victory.
This versatility and adaptability makes Debrunner’s dominance in the sports scene even more impressive. Debrunner decided to work with Dutch coach Arno Mul in 2019 and regularly traveled thousands of kilometers between Switzerland and the Netherlands to train. This decision paid off for her as she now holds the world records in the 100, 200, 400, 800 and 1500m as well as the marathon.
