The AW Athlete of the Year talks about his ever-growing number of marathon victories, the role of technology in wheelchair racing and what the future holds.
Marcel Haag is not going to retire soon. The “Swiss Silver Bullet” had another extraordinary season with success both on the track and on the roads.
At the World Para Athletics Championships held in New Delhi, he secured his 13th world title with T54 5000m gold in the Indian capital. The 39-year-old once again dominated the roads with major marathon victories in Boston, London, Berlin, Sydney, Chicago and New York.
Voted AW Athlete of the Year, Hug is already planning for more dominance in 2026 and, even though he’ll be turning 40, still has an insatiable appetite for more.
How would you sum up 2025?
This year has been a really intense season with the World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi as well as many marathons. I had many new experiences including being in India and then Australia for the Sydney Marathon. It was incredible to win the 5000m again and many of these prestigious marathons.
You won the Boston Marathon for the eighth time, took your London tally to five, secured victory in Sydney, made it 10 wins in Berlin, won Chicago for the sixth time and made it seventh in New York. How do you deal with those numbers?
To be honest, it is quite unbelievable. However, if I look at those stats, it makes me feel pretty old. As an athlete, I don’t like to look back too much. Usually I look to the future and always have the next competition in mind. Trying to be more present and enjoy each marathon. But I think it’s time to really think about ending my career.
What do you think of the current elite wheelchair setup in marathons and how would you improve it?
I think it’s great that we’ve now done a big marathon in Australia and it’s going to expand to Africa soon. From an organizational point of view, we are also in a great position. It’s perfect. There are many possibilities and we are included.
Inclusion is so important in marathons, and that includes the element of mass participation. That marathons continue to grow is brilliant for the sport.
But I would say that maybe it should be more regulated for our wheelchair athletes because there aren’t many of us on the field compared to runners. So instead of spreading the fields over many marathons, we should just try to focus on a few.
I’m also a bit concerned about the number of young athletes in general. I think there is a lot of potential for growth in this area, especially in the run-up to Los Angeles 2028.
Do you see yourself competing at LA 2028?
It has not been decided yet. I’m planning year by year right now. I’m 39 now so we’ll see what happens.
How influential has technology been to you in recent years and are there many noticeable differences when competing?
First of all, it is very important to have this technology because every sport has to evolve with time. I think it makes us more attractive to watch and it also helps us in our performance.
For example, the aerodynamics of the chairs are much better now, and that means there’s much less energy loss when we’re racing. When you are at such a high level, you have to find every percentage to improve because it can affect the outcome of the race. From a commercial point of view, it’s also great that big brands and companies are involved in parasports.
You’ve achieved so much in your career, so what keeps you motivated?
There are many things that keep me motivated. I just love sports. I enjoy working out, being outdoors, and the health side of getting my body moving.
I want to keep pushing the boundaries and see what’s possible. I am always looking for marginal gains and continue to improve day by day.
Eliud Kipchoge has announced a world tour to run seven marathons on all seven continents in two years. Would you like to try and do something like this in parasport at some point?
I haven’t thought of such a plan. But one of the main reasons I went to race the Sydney Marathon was because it was their first edition as a major and I wanted to support them by being there. It was so exciting to have a new course and challenge.
I hope to do this with Cape Town and Shanghai in the next few years as well, but that is still undecided.
In terms of legacy, I want to inspire the next generation. I have already organized the Swiss Silver Bullet Training Camp in Knottville, Switzerland together with my trainer. Young athletes from different countries can come here and we train together for a week. It is so important.
