Jimmy Gressier Smashes European 5km Record With 12:51 in Lille
France's Jimmy Gressier ran 12:51 at the Urban Trail de Lille to shatter his own European 5km record — missing the world record by just two seconds.
What happened
On Saturday 5 April, France's Jimmy Gressier delivered a stunning performance at the Urban Trail de Lille, running 12:51 over 5km to smash his own European record by six seconds.
The 28-year-old was just two seconds off the world record of 12:49 set by Ethiopia's Berihu Aregawi in Barcelona in 2021 — making it one of the fastest road 5km performances in history.
The race
Gressier was racing on home soil in northern France and controlled the pace from the start. Behind him, Ethiopia's Addisu Yihune finished second in 12:54, while France's Yann Schrub clocked 12:56 — both also dipping under Gressier's previous European record.
Three men under the old European record in a single race is an extraordinary result, but the day belonged to Gressier.
The bigger picture
Gressier, who won bronze in the 5,000m at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, has been in remarkable form. This performance cements him as one of the best distance runners in the world right now and a genuine medal contender at major championships.
For recreational runners, it's worth putting 12:51 in context — that's a pace of roughly 2:34 per kilometre sustained for five kilometres. Most club runners would struggle to hold that pace for a single lap of the track.