“I still can’t believe it, I can’t say how happy I am. I’m really, really, really happy,”

Swiss ‘Silver Bullet’ Marcel Hugfinally grabbed the Paralympic gold medal he has been waiting for, winning the 800m T54 at Rio 2016 on Thursday (15 September) as world records continued to fall.

The 30-year-old seven-time world champion, who has won four silver and two bronze medals across four Paralympic Games, looked determined to finally top the podium as he immediately took to the lead, and he held on over the two laps, speeding home to take gold in 1:33.76.

“I still can’t believe it, I can’t say how happy I am. I’m really, really, really happy,” said Hug, who admitted that the pressure was on after winning 1,500m and 5,000m silver earlier in the Games.

“There was more pressure definitely, but also more motivation. I hope I can keep on winning. I’m 30-years-old, it’s a good age and I’m very motivated to continue now with this gold in my bag.

“It feels good,” added Hug, who admitted that winning gold felt like a weight off his shoulders. “It was high pressure that I could make it. Now I have two days to relax and enjoy my time before I focus again on the marathon.”