Madison de Rozario’s defence of her Paralympic marathon crown has ended in heartache, the Australian dethroned by Swiss race star Catherine Debrunner.

De Rozario finished 4 minutes, 23 seconds off Debrunner, who ended the Paris Games with a remarkable six medals.

Debrunner had won golds in the 400-metre, 800-metre, 1500-metre and 5000-metre races, along with a 100-metre silver before Sunday’s marathon finale.

The 29-year-old’s dominance across the testing 42km race further cemented her status as the superstar of women’s wheelchair racing as she crossed the finish line at Invalides in a time of one hour, 41 minutes, 50 seconds.

🚨Catherine Debrunner 🇨🇭 is the new Paralympic Champion in the women’s marathon T54!

She got six medals at @Paris2024: 5x🥇 and 1x🥈

Women’s marathon T54 podium:
🥇Catherine Debrunner🇨🇭1:41:50
🥈Madison de Rozario 🇦🇺 1:46:13
🥉Susannah Scaroni 🇺🇸1:46:29#ParaAthletics pic.twitter.com/7kTPfvc2yE

— Para Athletics (@ParaAthletics) September 8, 2024

The Swiss medal magnet faced few challenges from her marathon rivals, leading from the front on Sunday on a course that began in the north-eastern suburbs of Paris.

By the time she reached the halfway point outside the Stade de France, Debrunner had a lead of 2 minutes and 1 second.

As she made her way back down into the city and reached the 35-kilometre stage, Debrunner had beefed up her race advantage by 4 minutes, 7 seconds.

De Rozario and American Sussanah Scaroni, who finished third, could not reel her in.

Debrunner breezed over the cobblestones of the Champs Elysees with ease as she weaved her way past Le Grand Palais, back across the Seine and over the finish line at Invalides.