Brent Lakatos wins wheelchair race at Berlin Marathon

BERLIN – Brent Lakatos of Dorval, Que., added another feather to his cap on Sunday with his first career wheelchair marathon victory in Berlin.

Lakatos, the current world record holder in the 100m, 200m, 800m and 1500m on the track in the T53 disability category (all set last season), clocked one hour, 29 minutes and 41 seconds. Marcel Hug of Switzerland, the defending champion and Paralympic Games champion, was second in 1:29:44.
Lakatos crossed the line more than three minutes faster than the time he clocked when he finished seventh last year.

“I’ll definitely be doing more marathons,’’ said Lakatos. ‘’What an unbelievable experience. The Berlin Marathon has been an absolute pleasure to attend.’’

Lakatos, 38, has been Canada’s king of wheelchair racing for the past four years. In 2017, he won four gold medals at the world championships just a few weeks after lowering four world marks. 

‘’I’ve been training for marathons and road racing this year,’’ said Lakatos at the 2018 Canadian Track and Field Championships in July. ‘’I had my first marathon this season at the London Marathon and I was really happy with my performance and my result (10th place).’’

At the 2016 Paralympic Games, he collected a medal of each colour including gold in the 100m.

This year the Abbott WMM series also includes bonus points available in each race, with eight points up for grabs at a specific location. In Berlin, that was at the 38 kilometre mark, and Lakatos picked up the extra points.

‘’That was almost like a mini race inside the race,’’ said Lakatos. ‘’Because people know it’s coming and it’s worth bonus points. Some people started making attacks and increasing the speed. But you had to be careful not to tire yourself out too much. You don’t want to win the bonus points then not have enough energy to the finish of the marathon.’’

The next stop in the series is the Chicago Marathon on October 7.

Points from an athlete’s best four races count towards the total – or best five during years with a Paralympic Games or World Championship marathon. The winners of the men’s and women’s series take home USD 50,000 each with USD 25,000 and USD 10,000 going to second and third respectively.