What a difference a second makes!

Talk about an exciting finish!

The New York City marathon was held today and, for the first time ever, an American man won the wheelchair division.

But I’d like to narrow that down for you. A Maryland man just became the first American to claim that title.

Daniel Romanchuk of Mount Airy gave spectators something to cheer about when he defeated the defending men’s champion, Marcel Hug of Switzerland, by a mere second, according to the New York Times. Romanchuk clocked a winning time of one hour, 36.21 seconds.

Romanchuk has been working his way up the U.S. Paralympic Track and Field Team’s pecking order for several years and was named to the Paralympic team that represented the U.S. in Rio de Janiero in 2016.

Teamusa.org photo

The 20-year-old athlete won his first major marathon less than a month ago when he won the Chicago Marathon’s wheelchair division, edging out Hug again by just a second. Great Britain’s David Weir finished third, eight seconds after Hug.

Romanchuk was born with spina bifida, a condition in which the spinal column doesn't close completely. 

He “has been considered a rising star on the scene for some” and “cemented his place as one of the top racers in the game today with his victory, beating a stacked field,” according to a USOC statement after the Chicago victory.

Romanchuk, a University of Illinois student, finished third at the Boston and London marathons this year, according to a United States Olympic Committee statement.

I had the opportunity to interview and write about Daniel a few years back for the Frederick News-Post when he participated in the 2015 Parapan American Games in Toronto, where he claimed the gold medal in the 5,000-meter race. 

The son of Stephan and Kimberly Romanchuk was homeschooled and first got involved in adaptive sports at the age of 2 with the Bennett Blazers, a program for physically challenged individuals operating out of the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore. He now helps train young athletes through that program, according to his USOC bio.

Way to go, Daniel!