Viktor Röthlin (born October 14, 1974 in Kerns, Obwalden) is a Swiss former long-distance runner, who specialized in the marathon.

Viktor Röthlin
Personal information
Born (1974-10-14) October 14, 1974 (age 50)
Height1.72 m (5 ft 7+12 in)
Weight60 kg (130 lb)
Sport
Country Switzerland
SportAthletics
EventMarathon
Medal record
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2007 Osaka Marathon
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2010 Barcelona Marathon
Silver medal – second place 2006 Göteborg Marathon

Röthlin won the silver medal at the 2006 European Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden, the bronze medal at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, Japan, and the gold medal at the 2010 European Championships in Barcelona, Spain.

He also competed in the marathon at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia (finishing 36th), at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece (where he did not finish), at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China (where he placed 6th in a time of 2:10:35) and at the 2012 Olympics in London, Great Britain (where he finished in 11th with a time of 2:12:48).[1]

Röthlin has set four Swiss national records at the marathon distance: In September 2001 at the Berlin Marathon, his time of 2:10:54 eclipsed the previous Swiss national record of 2:11:10 (set by Daniel Boltz in 1991). In April 2004, in his victory at the Zürich Marathon, Röthlin lowered the national record to 2:09:56. In April 2007, he lowered the national record again, when he won the Zürich Marathon in a time of 2:08:20, and in February 2008, he once more improved the Swiss record to 2:07:23 when he won the Tokyo Marathon.

Röthlin attempted no marathons in 2009, because he contracted thrombosis during a flight from the United Arab Emirates in the Spring of 2009, which led to a pulmonary embolism and fluid buildup in his chest; the condition was treated with rest and medication.[2]

At the 2012 Tokyo Marathon he had his fastest performance since his victory in 2008, as he finished fifth with a time of 2:08:32 hours.[3]

Röthlin retired from competitive marathon running in 2014, after finishing fifth at the European Championships in Zürich.[4][5]

Since retiring, Röthlin has been active in coaching, becoming the coach of Matthias Kyburz in 2024.[6]

Achievements

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  • All results are for the marathon, unless stated otherwise
Year Competition Venue Position Notes
1999 Hamburg Marathon Hamburg, Germany 12th 2:13:36
2000 Rotterdam Marathon Rotterdam, Netherlands 20th 2:12:53
Olympic Games Sydney, Australia 36th 2:20:06
2001 Rotterdam Marathon Rotterdam, Netherlands 13th 2:12:22
Berlin Marathon Berlin, Germany 8th 2:10:54
2002 European Championships Munich, Germany 16th 2:16:16
2003 Zürich Marathon Zürich, Switzerland 2nd 2:11:05
World Championships Paris, France 14th 2:11:14
2004 Zürich Marathon Zürich, Switzerland 1st 2:09:55
Olympic Games Athens, Greece DNF
2005 Zürich Marathon Zürich, Switzerland 4th 2:11:00
New York City Marathon New York City, United States 7th 2:11:44
2006 European Championships Gothenburg, Sweden 2nd 2:11:50
2007 Zürich Marathon Zürich, Switzerland 1st 2:08:20
World Championships Osaka, Japan 3rd 2:17:25
2008 Tokyo Marathon Tokyo, Japan 1st 2:07:23
Olympic Games Beijing, China 6th 2:10:35
2010 European Championships Barcelona, Spain 1st 2:15:31
New York City Marathon New York City, United States DNF
2011 London Marathon London, United Kingdom 11th 2:12:43
New York Marathon New York City, United States 11th 2:12:26
2012 Tokyo Marathon Tokyo, Japan 5th 2:08:32
Olympic Games London, United Kingdom 11th 2:12:48
2013 Lake Biwa Marathon Ōtsu, Japan 8th 2:10:18
2014 European Championships Zürich, Switzerland 5th 2:13:07

References

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  1. ^ "London 2012 - Men's Marathon". www.olympic.org. IOC. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  2. ^ Viktor Roethlin Forced Out of London Marathon si.com, March 17, 2009
  3. ^ Nakamura, Ken (2012-02-26). Kipyego wins Tokyo Marathon, Gebrselassie fades to a disappointing fourth. IAAF. Retrieved on 2012-02-27.
  4. ^ "European Championships 2014 - Results". Retrieved September 20, 2017.
  5. ^ "Team-Bronze bei Röthlins Abschied". NZZ (in German). August 17, 2014. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
  6. ^ Breitenstein, Eva (8 April 2024). "Matthias Kyburz könnte der schnellste Schweizer Marathonläufer der Geschichte werden. Nur: Will er das?". NZZ. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
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