Catherine Debrunner

Catherine Debrunner (born 11 April 1995) is a Swiss athlete and teacher. She has competed for Team Switzerland at the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships where she won a gold and silver medal.

Catherine Debrunner
Debrunner at the 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships
Personal information
Born (1995-04-11) 11 April 1995
Mettendorf TG
EducationThurgau University of Education
Medal record
Women's para-athletics
Representing   Switzerland
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2019 Dubai400m T53
Gold medal – first place 2023 Paris 5000m T54
Gold medal – first place 2023 Paris 400m T53
Gold medal – first place 2023 Paris 800m T53
Gold medal – first place 2023 Paris 1500m T54
Silver medal – second place 2015 Doha200m T53
Silver medal – second place 2019 Dubai800m T53
Silver medal – second place 2023 Paris 100m T53

Early life

Debrunner was born on 11 April 1995 in Mettendorf, Switzerland.[1] Due to a birth defect in her spine, she uses a wheelchair.[2] While attending a sports camp in Nottwil, she met her future trainer and coach Paul Odermatt.[3]

Career

Debrunner competed in the T53 200 metres at the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships, where she earned a silver medal with a time of 30.64.[4] She qualified for the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio,[5] where she finished seventh in the Women's 400 metres.[6]

Debrunner subsequently took a break from sports to focus on her education before returning to Team Switzerland for the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships.[7] In Dubai, she earned a gold medal in the Women's 400m T53[8] and a silver medal in the women's 800m T53 race.[9]

At the 2022 Berlin Marathon, Debrunner, competing in her first marathon won the race with a time of 1:36:47, beating five-time winner Manuela Schär's streak of five Berlin Marathon wins.

In May 2023, Debrunner was awarded the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability award.[10]

References
  1. "Catherine Debrunner, Athletics". swissparalympic.ch. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  2. Bingesser, Felix (18 November 2019). "So herzlich wird Debrunner von ihren Schülern empfangen". blick.ch. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  3. "Catherine Debrunner". paralympic.org. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  4. Wright, Stephen (23 October 2015). "Fourth-place finish an 'incredible' feeling". Royal Gazette. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  5. "The Swiss Paralympic athletes Brazil 2016". houseofswitzerland.org. 7 September 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  6. "Results Archive Rio 2016 Athletics - Women's 400 m T53". paralympic.org. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  7. Sachers, Laura (29 October 2019). "Aus dem Schulzimmer nach Dubai: Die Hüttlinger Rollstuhlathletin Catherine Debrunner ist zurück im Spitzensport". St. Galler Tagblatt. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  8. "Gold für Thurgauerin Catherine Debrunner an der Para-Leichathletik-WM". toponline.ch (in German). 9 November 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  9. "Madison de Rozario and Vanessa Low win world para championship gold medals". 7news.com.au. 12 November 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  10. "Messi & Argentina World Cup team win Laureus awards". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
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