Romanchuk Wins Men’s Wheelchair Division At NYC Marathon

Daniel Romanchuk of Champaign repeated as men's wheelchair champion at the New York City Marathon Sunday, in another tight finish over Switzerland's Marcel Hug.

The 21-year-old Romanchuk, who moved from Maryland to train at the University of Illinois, held off Hug with a final sprint through Central Park, crossing the finish line in 1 hour, 37 minutes and 24 seconds. Hug was one second behind for a second straight year. Germany's David Weir and Romanchuk’s U of I teammate, Aaron Pike, were also within 10 seconds.

Last year, Romanchuk, while studying at Parkland College, became the first American and youngest competitor to win the men's division as a 20-year-old. He followed with victories this year at the Boston and London Marathons. Hug took the New York title in 2016 and 2017.

In the women’s wheelchair division, Manuela Schär of Switzerland won her third straight title, giving her eight consecutive marathon major victories.

After rolling ahead of the record pace for much of Sunday's race, Schär crossed the finish about a minute off the mark at 1 hour, 44 minutes and 20 seconds.

Former U of I athlete Tatyana McFadden took second place with a time of 1:48:37, followed by current U of I student Susannah Scaroni in third place, with 1:51:37.

McFadden is a five-time women’s wheelchair champion at the NYC Marathon, winning in 2010 and 2013-16. Her 2015 time of 1:43:04 is a still-standing course record for her division.