Marathon at the Paralympics
Encyclopedia
Marathon
events have been held at the Summer Paralympic Games
, for both men and women, since the 1984 Summer Paralympics
in Stoke Mandeville
and New York
.
Since the 1996 Games
in Atlanta, marathon events, along with all other track
events, have been categorised as follows :
Heinrich Koeberle of Germany, active from 1984 to 2000, is the most successful Paralympic marathon competitor to date, having won four gold medals and one silver. Among the women, Connie Hansen
of Denmark and Jean Driscoll
of the United States have each won two Paralympic marathons.
in Stoke Mandeville and New York, seven marathons were held for men, and four for women, all for wheelchair athletes. In the men's event 1A, only three runners started the race: Heinrich Koeberle from West Germany, his compatriot H. Lobbering (full name not recorded), and Rainer Kueschall of Switzerland. Only Koeberle reached the finish line. In women's event 5, there were only two competitors, both from Mexico. Both reached the finish line.
Men's events
Women's events
in Seoul
was expanded to eleven for men, but restricted to three for women (with category 5 being closed).
Men's events
Women's events
in Barcelona
, the number of events for men was cut to six: three for wheelchair athletes, and three for visually impaired athletes. The number of events for women was further reduced, down to one, for wheelchair athletes.
Men's events
Women's event
in Atlanta, the current categorisation system was introduced. Seven events were held for men, and one for women.
Men's events
Women's event
in Sydney
.
Men's events
Women's event
in Athens
, the number of events for men was reduced to five (one for totally blind athletes, one for visually impaired athletes, and three for wheelchair athletes), while a single wheelchair event was maintained for women.
Men's events
Women's event
in Beijing
, the number of events for men was again reduced, down to four (one for visually impaired athletes, one for upper limb amputees, two for wheelchair athletes), while a single women's wheelchair event was maintained.
Men's events
Women's event
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
events have been held at the Summer Paralympic Games
Summer Paralympic Games
The Summer Paralympic Games or the Games of the Paralympiad, are an international multi-sport event, where athletes with physical disabilities compete. This includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and Cerebral Palsy. The Paralympic Games are held every four years,...
, for both men and women, since the 1984 Summer Paralympics
1984 Summer Paralympics
The 1984 Summer Paralympics were the seventh Paralympic Games to be held. They were held in two separate locations, Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom and in the Mitchel Athletic Complex and Hofstra University in Long Island, New York, United States of America The 1984 Summer Paralympics were the...
in Stoke Mandeville
Stoke Mandeville
Stoke Mandeville is a village and also a civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district to the south-east of Aylesbury in the county of Buckinghamshire, England. Although a separate civil parish, the village falls within the Aylesbury Urban Area...
and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Since the 1996 Games
1996 Summer Paralympics
The 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta, USA were held from 16 August to 25 August. It was the first Paralympics to get mass media sponsorship, and had a budget of USD $81 million....
in Atlanta, marathon events, along with all other track
Athletics at the Summer Paralympics
Athletics has been contested at every Summer Paralympics since the first games in 1960. Men and women from all disability groups compete in the sport.Some athletes use wheelchairs or prosthetic limbs....
events, have been categorised as follows :
- Visually impaired athletes compete in categories T11, T12 and T13, based on their level of disability. Totally blind athletes compete in T11 events, and are permitted to run with a sighted guide. (In 1996 only, the categories were named T10, T11 and T12, and blind athletes were thus categorised "T10".) The marathon for visually impaired athletes is held only for men, and in 2008, no marathon was held in categories T11 or T13, leaving the men's T12 marathon as the sole event for visually impaired athletes.
- Athletes with lower limb amputations, competing with prosthetics, run in categories T42 to T44, depending on their level of disability. In the marathon, athletes in these categories were able to compete only in 1996, when they were grouped together in a single event. The event was held for men only.
- Athletes with upper limb amputations compete in category T46. The marathon in this category exists only for men. In 1996, they ran mixed with lower limb amputees. In 2000, they were awarded their distinct race, which was cancelled in 2004 and restored in 2008.
- Wheelchair athletes compete in categories T51 to T54. These are the only categories open to women as well as men for the marathon. In 2008, three marathons were held in these categories: T52 for men, T54 for men and T54 for women.
Heinrich Koeberle of Germany, active from 1984 to 2000, is the most successful Paralympic marathon competitor to date, having won four gold medals and one silver. Among the women, Connie Hansen
Connie Hansen
Connie Hansen is a noted Danish Paralympian. She competed in athletics at the Summer Paralympics three times, in 1984, 1988 and 1992, and won a total of nine gold medals, four silvers, and one bronze. She was inducted to the Paralympic Hall of Fame in 2008.-External links:...
of Denmark and Jean Driscoll
Jean Driscoll
Jean Driscoll is an American wheelchair racer. She won the women's wheelchair division of the Boston Marathon eight times, more than any other female athlete in any division. Her wins in Boston included seven consecutive first place finishes from 1990 to 1996...
of the United States have each won two Paralympic marathons.
1984
At the 1984 Games1984 Summer Paralympics
The 1984 Summer Paralympics were the seventh Paralympic Games to be held. They were held in two separate locations, Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom and in the Mitchel Athletic Complex and Hofstra University in Long Island, New York, United States of America The 1984 Summer Paralympics were the...
in Stoke Mandeville and New York, seven marathons were held for men, and four for women, all for wheelchair athletes. In the men's event 1A, only three runners started the race: Heinrich Koeberle from West Germany, his compatriot H. Lobbering (full name not recorded), and Rainer Kueschall of Switzerland. Only Koeberle reached the finish line. In women's event 5, there were only two competitors, both from Mexico. Both reached the finish line.
Men's events
| Marathon 1A |
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| Marathon 1B |
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| Marathon 1C |
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| Marathon 2 |
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| Marathon 3 |
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| Marathon 4 |
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| Marathon 5 |
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Women's events
| Marathon 2 |
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| Marathon 3 |
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| Marathon 4 |
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| Marathon 5 |
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1988
The number of events at the 1988 Summer Paralympics1988 Summer Paralympics
The 1988 Summer Paralympics were the first Paralympics in 24 years that take place in the same city as the Olympic Games. They took place in Seoul, South Korea. This was the first time the term "Paralympic" came into official use.- Sports :...
in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
was expanded to eleven for men, but restricted to three for women (with category 5 being closed).
Men's events
| Marathon 1A |
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| Marathon 1B |
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| Marathon 1C |
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| Marathon 2 |
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| Marathon 3 |
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| Marathon 4 |
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| Marathon 5-6 |
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| Marathon A1–3/A9/L1–2 |
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| Marathon B1 |
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| Marathon B2 |
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| Marathon B3 |
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Women's events
| Marathon 2 |
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| Marathon 3 |
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| Marathon 4 |
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1992
At the 1992 Games1992 Summer Paralympics
The 1992 Summer Paralympics were the ninth Paralympic Games to be held. They were held in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.- Sports :The games consisted of 487 events spread over fifteen sports. Powerlifting and weightlifting were considered to be a single sport...
in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, the number of events for men was cut to six: three for wheelchair athletes, and three for visually impaired athletes. The number of events for women was further reduced, down to one, for wheelchair athletes.
Men's events
| Marathon B1 |
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| Marathon B2 |
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| Marathon B3 |
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| Marathon TW1 |
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| Marathon TW2 |
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| Marathon TW3–4 |
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Women's event
| Marathon TW3–4 |
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1996
At the 1996 Summer Paralympics1996 Summer Paralympics
The 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta, USA were held from 16 August to 25 August. It was the first Paralympics to get mass media sponsorship, and had a budget of USD $81 million....
in Atlanta, the current categorisation system was introduced. Seven events were held for men, and one for women.
Men's events
| Marathon T10 |
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| Marathon T11 |
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| Marathon T12 |
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| Marathon T42–46 |
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| Marathon T50 |
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| Marathon T51 |
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| Marathon T52–53 |
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Women's event
| Marathon T52–53 |
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2000
The same number of events (seven for men, one for women) were maintained at the 2000 Summer Games2000 Summer Paralympics
The 2000 Paralympic Games were held in Sydney, Australia, from 18 October to 29 October. The eleventh Summer Paralympic Games, an estimated 3800 athletes took part in the Sydney programme. They commenced with the opening ceremony on 18 October 2000...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
.
Men's events
| Marathon T11 |
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| Marathon T12 |
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| Marathon T13 |
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| Marathon T46 |
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| Marathon T51 |
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| Marathon T52 |
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| Marathon T54 |
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Women's event
| Marathon T54 |
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2004
At the 2004 Summer Paralympics2004 Summer Paralympics
The 2004 Summer Paralympics were held in Athens, Greece, from September 17 to September 28. The twelfth Paralympic Games, an estimated 4,000 athletes took part in the Athens programme, with ages ranging from 11 to 66. Paralympic events had already taken place during the 2004 Summer Olympics as...
in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, the number of events for men was reduced to five (one for totally blind athletes, one for visually impaired athletes, and three for wheelchair athletes), while a single wheelchair event was maintained for women.
Men's events
| Marathon T11 |
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| Marathon T13 |
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| Marathon T51 |
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| Marathon T52 |
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| Marathon T54 |
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Women's event
| Marathon T54 |
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2008
At the 2008 Games2008 Summer Paralympics
The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games, the thirteenth Paralympics, took place in Beijing, China from September 6 to September 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao....
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, the number of events for men was again reduced, down to four (one for visually impaired athletes, one for upper limb amputees, two for wheelchair athletes), while a single women's wheelchair event was maintained.
Men's events
| Marathon T12 |
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| Marathon T46 |
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| Marathon T52 |
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| Marathon T54 |
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Women's event
| Marathon T54 |
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Medal table
| 1 |  Canada |
9 | 4 | 6 | 19 |
| 2 |  United States |
8 | 8 | 10 | 26 |
| 3 |  Switzerland |
5 | 4 | 4 | 13 |
| 4 |  Germany |
5 | 3 | 3 | 11 |
| 5 |  Japan |
4 | 6 | 3 | 13 |
| 6 |  Australia |
4 | 3 | 2 | 9 |
| 7 |  United Kingdom |
3 | 5 | 2 | 8 |
| 8 |  Italy |
3 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
| 9 |  France |
2 | 5 | 1 | 8 |
| 10 |  Denmark |
2 Connie Hansen Connie Hansen is a noted Danish Paralympian. She competed in athletics at the Summer Paralympics three times, in 1984, 1988 and 1992, and won a total of nine gold medals, four silvers, and one bronze. She was inducted to the Paralympic Hall of Fame in 2008.-External links:... |
4 | 0 | 6 |
| 11 |  Spain |
2 Javier Conde Javier Conde Becerra , better known as Javier Conde, is one of the most famous Spanish bullfighters to come from Malaga.-Biography:The Malagueño began bullfighting on June 4, 1989 in Benalmadena.... |
2 | 1 | 3 |
| 12 |  Mexico |
2 | 1 | 5 | 8 |
| 13 |  Poland |
2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| 14 |  Russia |
2 Ildar Pomykalov Ildar Pomykalov is a Paralympian athlete from Russia competing mainly in category T12 long distance events.He competed in the 1996 Summer Paralympics in Atlanta, United States. There he won a bronze medal in the men's 5000 metres - T12 event, finished fourth in the men's 10000 metres - T12 event... |
0 | 1 Ildar Pomykalov Ildar Pomykalov is a Paralympian athlete from Russia competing mainly in category T12 long distance events.He competed in the 1996 Summer Paralympics in Atlanta, United States. There he won a bronze medal in the men's 5000 metres - T12 event, finished fourth in the men's 10000 metres - T12 event... |
3 |
| 15 |  Austria |
1 Thomas Geierspichler Thomas Geierspichler is a Paralympic athlete from Austria competing mainly in category T52 middle distance events.He competed in the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney, Australia... |
3 | 2 | 6 |
| 16 |  Portugal |
1 Carlos Amaral Ferreira Carlos Amarel Ferreira is a Paralympic athlete from Portugal competing mainly in category T10/T11 decathlon events.He competed in the 1992 Summer Paralympics in Barcelona, Spain. There he won a silver medal in the men's Football 7-a-side event. At the 1996 Summer Paralympics in Atlanta, United... |
1 Carlos Amaral Ferreira Carlos Amarel Ferreira is a Paralympic athlete from Portugal competing mainly in category T10/T11 decathlon events.He competed in the 1992 Summer Paralympics in Barcelona, Spain. There he won a silver medal in the men's Football 7-a-side event. At the 1996 Summer Paralympics in Atlanta, United... |
1 | 3 |
| 16 |  Sweden |
1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 18 |  Norway |
1 | 1 Tofiri Kibuuka Tofiri Kibuuka is a Norwegian athlete. Ugandan by birth, he competed for Uganda before obtaining Norwegian citizenship. He has participated in both the Winter Paralympic Games, in cross-country skiing and in the Summer Paralympic Games, in mid- and long distance running... |
0 | 2 |
| 18 |  Slovakia |
1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 20 |  People's Republic of China |
1 Qi Shun Qi Shun is a Paralympian athlete from China competing mainly in category T12 long distance events.He competed in the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens, Greece... |
0 | 0 | 1 |
| 21 |  New Zealand |
0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 22 |  Republic of Ireland |
0 | 1 Kay McShane Kay McShane is a former Irish wheelchair athlete. Her record of three consecutive wins in the 1984-1986 London Marathon women's wheelchair race remained unequaled for nearly 20 years until Francesca Porcellato tied the record in 2005 and then broke it in 2006. McShane competed in the 1984 and 1988... |
2 | 3 |
| 22 |  South Africa |
0 | 1 Krige Schabort Krige Schabort is a paralympic athlete from South Africa competing mainly in category T54 distance events.Krige competed in the 1500m, 5000m, 10000m and marathon at the 2000 Summer Paralympics winning the silver medal in the T54 marathon. This was a feet he could not match in 2004 when competing... |
2 | 3 |
| 24 |  Brazil |
0 | 1 Tito Sena Tito Sena is a Paralympian athlete from Brazil competing mainly in category T46 long distance events.He competed in the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, China. There he won a silver medal in the men's Marathon - T46 event and finished ninth in the men's 5000 metres - T46 event-External links:... |
1 | 2 |
| 25 |  Czechoslovakia |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 25 |  Israel |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 25 |  Netherlands |
0 | 1 Jennette Jansen Jennette Jansen is a Paralympian from the Netherlands competing mainly in category TW4 wheelchair racing and later as a basketball player.... |
0 | 1 |
| 28 |  Finland |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 28 |  Lithuania |
0 | 0 | 1 Linas Balsys Linas Balsys is a paralympic athlete from Lithuania competing mainly in category T12 long distance running events.... |
1 |