Weekend results: Mekdes Woldu and Jimmy Gressier smash records

Barcelona: Mekdes Woldu, France’s marathon queen

Three weeks. That is how long Manon Trapp’s French record lasted before Mekdes Woldu took it down. On Sunday, after a heroic effort through the streets of Barcelona, the French athlete posted an impressive 2:23:13, improving the national record by 23 seconds and earning herself a place in French marathon history. Her performance saw her finish sixth in a race won by Kenya’s Sharon Chelimo Arusho in 2:19:33.

Under the Catalan sun and in ideal conditions, Thierry Choffin’s athlete controlled her effort with metronomic consistency: 33:56 at 10K, 1:11:31 at halfway, and a 3:23/km pace that carried her to the finish. It was a race plan executed to the letter, with no panic and no rush. Her pacemaker, recruited at the last minute by her kit sponsor, played his role to perfection and helped her maintain a steady pace throughout. Well supported in the second women’s pack, she showed tremendous determination and refused to give anything away. Her race management says a lot about her maturity, especially as this was only her fourth marathon. At the top of French distance running, Mekdes Woldu now holds the French records for both the half marathon and marathon.

She has met World Athletics’ qualifying standard for the Tokyo World Championships (2:23:30), but the French federation’s mark remains out of reach for now (2:21:13). A place on the French team this summer is therefore not yet guaranteed, but one thing is certain: Mekdes Woldu’s marathon chapter has a bright future.

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Not the race Nicolas Navarro had hoped for

The marathon can be a cruel event. Despite an ideal preparation and being in outstanding shape, Nicolas Navarro endured a difficult race. He had played a leading role for more than half the distance, running in a large group with three pacemakers. The SCO Ste Marguerite athlete reached halfway in 1:02:18 before running into trouble from 27K onward. Dropped by the lead group, he was forced to abandon and even began vomiting. It simply wasn’t his day. The race was won by Ethiopia’s Tesfaye Deriba, who set a new course record of 2:04:13.

Lille: new European record for Jimmy Gressier

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Jimmy Gressier put on a show. After a successful US campaign in which the French athlete broke the European indoor 5,000m record, he did it again on the roads in Lille on Sunday with a stunning 12:57. That works out at an average pace of 2:35/km. Breaking 13 minutes is a symbolic barrier that few Europeans have crossed, and it now puts the runner from northern France among the best in the world.

He set off at a blistering pace alongside his friend Yann Schrub, Uruguay’s Santiago Catrofe and Ethiopia’s Addisu Yihune, and the local favourite produced a heroic battle. He came through halfway in 7:40, right on schedule. Then came the final kilometre, when he pulled off a gesture as iconic as it was audacious: removing his arm sleeves before unleashing a stratospheric finish. Racing at home in an electric atmosphere, he crossed the line just ahead of Catrofe, who also ran 12:57, with Yann Schrub third in 13:00.

The performance fits neatly into his carefully planned season, which targets the European Championships in Brussels in April, where he will race the half marathon. His goal? Trade records for medals. The new Kiprun athlete is hungry for trophies, and at this level of fitness, it is hard not to believe in his chances.

Also worth highlighting were the excellent performances by the French athletes in Lille.

This weekend confirmed one thing: French athletes are no longer showing up merely to make up the numbers on the international running scene. With Mekdes Woldu taking another step forward in the marathon and Jimmy Gressier establishing himself among the world’s elite over 5K, French distance running is on the rise. And what if this were only the start of an exceptional year?

✓ Full results for the 2025 Lille half marathon, 5K and 10K
✓ Full results for the 2025 Barcelona Marathon