Eden Rainbow-Cooper (coach: Arno Mul, club: Red Velvet Racing Team) secured the biggest win of her career as she sealed victory at the Boston Marathon, her first Abbott Major Marathon Major triumph.

She became the first British woman to ever win the wheelchair race and was also the first British winner of any of the elite races since 1985 when Geoff Smith won the elite men’s race.

Rainbow-Cooper led from pretty much start to finish as it was a solo push all the way around the streets of Boston at the annual prestigious fixture. Taking on a world-class field which included reigning Paralympic champion Madison de Rozario (AUS) and Paralympic silver medallist Manuela Schar (SUI), Rainbow-Cooper delivered a standout performance with Paris 2024 on the horizon.

In the final stages, the crowd roared her to the breakthrough moment on the international circuit, clocking a time of 1:35:11. Schar was 90 seconds behind in second.

The Commonwealth silver medallist rewrote the history books in America as she sealed her maiden Abbott World Marathon Major victory. The 22-year-old has been swiftly improving over the marathon distance having secured a second-place finish at the Tokyo marathon in March. Add that to a second place in Berlin last September, Rainbow-Cooper has rapidly become one of the leading female athletes in the elite women’s wheelchair series.

Afterwards, a shocked Rainbow-Cooper said, “It really took everything to get that win. It was such a mentally tough challenge. Pushing a marathon on your own is so difficult. I only started [the marathon] two years ago, and I have put absolutely everything into it, and I really can’t believe this.

“I just had my head down for the whole race and was just focusing on my own race. I had absolutely nothing left at the end, but the crowd carried me through.

On being the first British woman to ever win an elite race in Boston, she added, “I am just so proud to be able to represent my country and give my absolute best.”

In the men’s wheelchair race, David Weir (Jenny Archer, Weir Archer Academy) pushed to a fantastic third place in a time of 1:22:12. Marcel Hug (SUI) won the race despite a crash midway through the 26.2 miles distance, while Daniel Romanchuk (USA) took second on the net-downhill course.

Simon Lawson (Ian Thompson, Carlisle Tri) was the next British finisher in the men’s wheelchair race in eight spot in a time of 1:28:49, while JohnBoy Smith (Christine Parsloe, Sutton & District) was 13^th in 1:31:03.

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