Hug hunting Harbour glory

It is said that when Alexander of Macedonia was 33, he cried salt tears because there were no more worlds to conquer.

Marcel Hug must have known how he felt, until the Abbott World Marathon Majors expansion program came into being.

Now, for the man who has won it all time and time again, there is new territory on which to plant the Swiss flag; a new target for the Silver Bullet to test that his aim for the top of the podium remains true.

The reigning series men’s wheelchair champion has had the sport in the palm of his hand for what feels like a generation. Since the Majors returned after the pandemic, Hug has swept every series contested and demolished a good few course records and world records along the way.

Now, the 39-year-old, a 37-time Major winner, has arrived in Sydney ready to display his dominance on a new course that is certainly not for the feint-hearted chair racer.

Sydney is lumpy, and some of the toughest of those lumps are late in the race which will test the strongest of climbers.

Hug, who likes to escape early, will need to take advantage of the opening downhill stanza from North Sydney and across the Harbour Bridge if he is to make a break and maintain it.

If he is still in touch with the group, the enormous arms belonging to America’s Daniel Romanchuk could well give Hug a run for his money as the undulations begin.

The man from Maryland used his 10-ft wingspan to beat Hug in New York last November after the Olympic champion tangled with Britain’s David Weir, who is also in Sydney.

As the opening Major after a summer on the track for most of these athletes, there is a degree of the unknown about how they will shape up back on the roads.

One man who will have no trouble finding his way is Canada’s Josh Cassidy. The defending champion’s prior knowledge may give him a valuable advantage over his more illustrious foes.

Japan’s Tomoki Suzuki, winner in Tokyo in March, is also capable of mixing it with this highly accomplished pack.

There is likely to be a new name on the women’s wheelchair winner’s trophy.

Home crowd darling Madison de Rozario and Switzerland’s decorated three-time series champion Manuela Schär are both absent, which means the USA’s Susannah Scaroni will be hot favorite.

Great Britain’s Eden Rainbow-Cooper also starts bidding to further burnish her reputation after becoming the first woman from her country to win the Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America last year. Michele Wheeler, fourth here last year, is also back.

Japan’s Wakako Takahashi is also no stranger to the front end of the race.

So often we see an early escape and a wide margin of victory in Major wheelchair races, but with so many new names on the start line of a course that will be unfamiliar to many, as Sydney joins the family, it will be fascinating to see how these races unfold on Sunday.

Winning the Harbour City’s debut race? Probably worth a tear or two.

Don't miss out on our in-depth preview ahead of Sydney including how to tackle your visit on and off the course.
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