London Marathon to give equal money to wheelchair athletes

LONDON — Prize money for wheelchair races at the 2024 London Marathon will be the same as for able-bodied athletes, as the event becomes the first marathon to tie the two pots, organizers announced Thursday.

With an increase of $54,500, the prize pool for this year's wheelchair race will be $308,000. The four winners of the elite races will receive $55,000, the runners-up will receive $30,000 and the third place will receive $22,500.

“We are proud of our history of advocating for participants with disabilities [and] We are delighted to continue our commitment to disability sport with this historic decision,” said Hugh Brasher, London Marathon Event Director. “We have made great progress in recent years towards our ambition to make of the TCS London Marathon the most diverse and fairest marathon in the world. world and this is another important step towards achieving this goal. »

Britain's David Weir, a six-time Paralympic gold medalist and eight-time London marathon winner, hopes other events will make the same decision.

“Once again the London Marathon has set the bar for parity across all racing divisions,” Weir said. “This is a huge benchmark for disability sport and I hope other races and sporting bodies can take note.”

The London Marathon takes place on April 21.