This year’s London Marathon will be the first global marathon to have equal prize money for wheelchair and able-bodied athletes.
Organisers of the 26.2-mile race in the capital, which already had the highest prize money for the elite wheelchair racers, will now award $55,000 (£43,000) to the winners of both the men’s and women’s wheelchair races.
David Weir, who will be competing in his 25th consecutive London Marathon, said: “It’s a very exciting year for me and for wheelchair racing. Again London Marathon has set the bar for parity across the racing divisions.
“This is a huge benchmark for disability sport and I hope other races and sporting bodies can take note.”
Meanwhile, event director Hugh Brasher said: “We are proud of our history in championing participants with disabilities, from introducing our first wheelchair race in 1983 to hosting the IPC World Championships on multiple occasions.
“We are delighted to continue our commitment to disability sport with this landmark move that ensures the prize money available to our elite wheelchair athletes is exactly the same as for those in the able-bodied elite races.”
