Ethiopian Deso Gelmisa won the 45th edition of the Paris marathon on Sunday, ahead of his compatriot Seifu Tura, second by three seconds, and Frenchman Morhad Amdouni, third by setting a new French record. “I am very happy”, reacted soberly Gelmisa, winner at the end of the 42.195 km with a time of 2 h 05 min 07 sec, ahead of Tura (2 h 05 min 10 sec), who had won the Chicago marathon in 2021, and Amdouni (2 h 05 min 22 sec).
Record broken by more than a minute for the Frenchman
Behind them, a smile and relief also appeared on Amdouni’s face. The 33-year-old Corsican, European champion in the 10,000 meters in 2018, improved by more than a minute the French record set by Benoît Zwierzchiewski during the 2003 edition of this Paris marathon (2 h 6 min 36 dry). The latter also largely congratulated him a few minutes after the finish.
“It’s always flattering to have an athlete like him who breaks a record” admitted the former marathon runner who remembers an “already determined boy” the day they met in Bastia, when Amdouni was still a child. “It feels good. I just have to say that because it means ‘finally’ (…) I had to be able to pass this course which allows me to say hello I’m here”, for his part declared the main interested party, 17th in the marathon of the last Olympic Games in Tokyo.
A new record for the women’s event
Kenya’s Judith Jeptum also broke a record by dominating the women’s event. With a time of 2 h 19 min 48 sec, she improved by more than a minute the previous record of the event (2 h 20 min 55 sec) which had been established in 2017 by the Kenyan Purity Rionoripo. Jeptum beat two Ethiopians, Fanti Jimma, 2nd (2 h 22 min 52 sec), and Besu Sado, 3rd (2 h 23 min 16 sec).
The 26-year-old Kenyan was one of the favorites for this 45th edition and had notably won the Abu Dhabi marathon in 2021. Finally in the disabled sports category, it was Frenchman Julien Casoli who won in 1 hour 38 minutes and 36 seconds. This is the 5th victory in the Parisian event for the 39-year-old athlete, double Paralympic medalist.