Running News Daily

French Jimmy Gressier ran 13:12 to regain the European 5km record at the MonacoRun

Jimmy Gressier ran 13:12 to regain the European 5km record at the MonacoRun, a World Athletics Label event, in Monaco on Sunday (12).

The French 25-year-old had gone into the event targeting the area record of 13:14 that had been set by Italy’s Yemaneberhan Crippa in Herzogenaurach last April, that mark having taken four seconds off the continental record that Gressier had set in Monaco in 2020.

Pacing his run to perfection, the European 10,000m fourth-place finisher managed to take two seconds off the European record and won by 12 seconds ahead of South Sudan’s Dominic Lokinyomo Lobalu. Uganda’s world 5000m bronze medalist Oscar Chelimo finished third in 13:32.

“It was a controlled race. My pacers did a great job and the goal beforehand was to run close to 13:10,” said Gressier. “I came back from a great training camp in Kenya and I could feel my shape was getting better and better this week.”

Gressier will continue to race on the roads over the next few weeks, competing over 10km and the half marathon in Castellon and Paris, before focusing on the 1500m and 5000m on the track during the outdoor season.

The women’s 5km was won by Kenya’s Mirriam Chebet in 15:40.

Chebet proved her form by finishing third at the Campaccio Cross Country Tour Gold meeting in San Giorgio su Legnano last month and in Monaco she secured a dominant victory, winning by 44 seconds ahead of Norway’s Ine Bakken. Jenipher Contois of France was third in 16:28.