Crippa Makes History in Paris as Demise Smashes Women's Course Record

What happened

On Sunday 12 April, nearly 60,000 runners lined up on the Champs-Elysees for the 49th edition of the Paris Marathon — and two athletes delivered performances that will be remembered for years to come.

Yemaneberhan Crippa of Italy won the men's race in a personal best of 2:05:18, becoming the first Italian ever to win the Paris Marathon. In the women's race, Ethiopia's Shure Demise obliterated the course record with a stunning 2:18:34, smashing the previous mark of 2:19:48 set by Judith Jeptum Korir in 2022 by over a minute.

Crippa's breakthrough

Born in Dessie, Ethiopia, Crippa was adopted by an Italian family at the age of seven after losing his parents during the Eritrean-Ethiopian War. He grew up in the mountains of Trentino and has since become one of the most decorated distance runners in Italian history, holding seven national records across distances from 3,000m to the marathon.

The 29-year-old bided his time through the opening half before making his move in the closing stages. Speaking after the race, Crippa said: "My marathon career begins today. I've finally found the right path. Around the 33rd kilometre, I realised it would be my day, and when at the 39th kilometre I saw my opponents struggling, I decided to attack."

Ethiopia's Bayelign Teshager finished five seconds back in 2:05:23, with Kenya's Sila Kiptoo completing the podium in 2:05:28. France's Emmanuel Roudolff Levisse was the top home runner, finishing sixth in 2:05:58.

Demise destroys the field

If Crippa's win was a slow burn, Demise's was a demolition. The Ethiopian ran a controlled, relentless race to cross the line on Avenue Foch in 2:18:34 — a personal best and a new course record by 74 seconds.

The depth behind her was remarkable. Misgane Alemayehu (Ethiopia, 2:19:08), Magdalyne Masai (Kenya, 2:19:17) and Enatnesh Alamrew Tirusew (Ethiopia, 2:19:18) all finished inside the old course record. Four women under the previous best in a single race — a sign of how fast women's marathon running is moving right now.

The bigger picture

For Crippa, this is a turning point. After a marathon debut of 2:08:57 in Milan in 2023 and an Italian record of 2:06:06 in Seville in 2024, he has now cracked the 2:06 barrier and announced himself as a genuine force over 42.195km. With the LA 2028 Olympics on the horizon, his trajectory is hard to ignore.

For recreational runners, Crippa's winning pace works out to roughly 2:58 per kilometre — not far off what most club runners would consider a fast parkrun pace, sustained for the full marathon distance. Demise's pace of 3:18 per kilometre would leave the majority of male club runners struggling to keep up.

Paris continues to prove itself as one of the world's great city marathons — fast, flat enough to produce records, and with a finish opposite the Arc de Triomphe that never gets old.