Marcel Hug

Started: He began wheelchair racing in 1996 and entered his first competition the same year in Schenkon, Switzerland. (Athlete, 13 Nov 2019) Reason: He was inspired by Swiss Para athlete Franz Nietlispach, who he met as a child. His sports teacher then gave him an old racing wheelchair to try. "I knew the sport from what I had seen in the media and saw some athletes. Then I got the chance to try it." (Athlete, 13 Nov 2019; laureus.com, 01 Feb 2018) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (community.paraplegie.ch, 07 Jul 2023, 26 Sep 2023) Milestones: At the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, he became the second Swiss Paralympian, after Franz Nietlispach, to win four or more gold medals at a single edition of the Games. He was Switzerland's most successful athlete in Tokyo in terms of gold medals. (SportsDeskOnline, 21 Jul 2024) Awards: He and fellow athletics competitor Elena Kratter were Switzerland's flag bearers at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (medias.paris2024.org, 28 Aug 2024) He received the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability award in 2022 and 2018. (laureus.com, 25 Apr 2022) He was named 2022 Para Athlete of the Year at the Swiss Sports Awards. He also won the award in 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2021. (sports-awards.ch, 12 Dec 2021; community.paraplegie.ch, 07 Jul 2023) He was named Best Athlete of the Year by the International Paralympic Committee [IPC] in 2021. (community.paraplegie.ch, 07 Jul 2023) In 2020 he was nominated for Best Para Athlete of the 70 years from 1950-2020 at the Swiss Sports Awards. He did not win the award. (sports-awards.ch, 15 Dec 2020; tagblatt.ch, 11 Dec 2020) In 2013 and 2017 he was named Sportsman of the Year in the canton of Lucerne in Switzerland. (igsportluzern.ch, 23 Feb 2018) He was named Thurgau Sportsman of the Year in Switzerland in three consecutive years from 2004 to 2006. (Facebook page, 30 Jul 2014) In 2004 he was the recipient of the Newcomer of the Year award at the Swiss Sports Awards. (swissparalympic.ch, 2018) Additional Info: DOCUMENTARY He was the focus of the 2023 documentary 'GO4GOLD', which follows his sporting career. "The documentary tells of my adventurous journey from the idea of a new racing wheelchair to quadruple Paralympic gold in Tokyo [2020 Paralympic Games]. It makes me incredibly proud to be a part of this great story and I would like to thank everyone involved from the bottom of my heart." (Schweizer Paraplegiker-Stiftung YouTube channel, 12 Jun 2023; swissside.com, 12 Jun 2023; paraplegie.ch, 12 Jun 2023) SILVER HELMET He competes wearing a silver helmet, which led to his nickname 'The Silver Bullet'. "There are two reasons for this: Firstly, I received the silver helmet as a junior from my coach. Not only do I personally like the helmet, [but] this meant that I was always recognised immediately during competitions. So the silver helmet became my trademark. The name 'Swiss Silver Bullet' was added at the 2011 World Championships in New Zealand. The organiser gave me that title in a promotional video - and the name stuck. The second reason is very simple: I prefer to have silver on my head and gold around my neck." (community.paraplegie.ch, 07 Jul 2023; olympics.com, 15 Nov 2023) RIVALRY He believes that a long rivalry with British wheelchair racer David Weir has made both him and Weir better athletes. "The rivalry with David is really important to me and it means a lot. We have been competing together for so many years and being great rivals means we pushed each other to our limits and made ourselves stronger. I think he was also a very important person for the London Paralympics. London 2012 was a very important Games for Para sport, and to have David as a multiple winner there gave us an extra boost." (theguardian.com, 26 Apr 2022) TRAINING CAMPS He and his coach Paul Odermatt have staged summer training camps for both young and experienced athletes in Nottwil, Switzerland. (swissparalympic.ch, 2018; community.paraplegie.ch, 26 Sep 2023)