Jimmy Gressier at the Urban Trail de Lille (© Gaëlle Mobuchon)
France’s Jimmy Gressier improved his own European 5km record to 12:51, missing the world record by just two seconds, while Kenya’s Agnes Ngetich ran 28:58 for the third-fastest women’s 10km of all time at the Urban Trail de Lille in France on Saturday (4).
On a day of fast racing, 17-year-old Marta Alemayo won the women's 5km in 14:15, putting her third on the world all-time list, while her Ethiopian compatriot Khairi Bejiga won the men's 10km in 26:51.
Gressier’s performance takes six seconds off the continental record he set in Lille last year, when he became the first European athlete to break 13 minutes on the roads and moved to fifth on the world all-time list.
Now he sits joint third on that list – behind only world record-holder Berihu Aregawi (12:49) and Yomif Kejelcha (12:50).
After a fierce four-way battle in the closing stages, Gressier was chased over the finish line this time by Ethiopia’s Addisu Yihune, who moves to fifth on the world all-time list with 12:54. The top three all finished inside 13 minutes, Gressier’s French compatriot Yann Schrub also dipping under the old European record with 12:56, making him the seventh-fastest 5km runner in history.
Like Gressier, Alemayo also now sits third on the all-time list after running a world U20 best of 14:15 to win the women’s race. Only Kenya’s world record-holder Beatrice Chebet (13:54 and 14:13) and Ngetich (14:13) have ever beaten that time.
Alemayo, who won her second world U20 cross-country title in Tallahassee in January, won the race by seven seconds – Hawi Abera finishing second in 14:22 and Yenenesh Shimket third in 14:24 in an Ethiopian top three that also sees Abera and Shimket move into the world all-time top 10.
World cross-country champion Ngetich dominated the women’s 10km, winning in 28:58 for the second-fastest time of her career so far behind the world record of 28:46 she set in Valencia in 2024. It is the third-quickest women’s 10km performance in history.
Agnes Ngetich at the Urban Trail de Lille (© Gaëlle Mobuchon)
Running alongside male athletes, she passed the 5km mark in around 14:14 but slowed slightly in the second half of the race.
Ethiopia’s Chaltu Dida and Hirut Meshesha finished second and third, respectively clocking 30:02 and 30:05.
Italy's Nadia Battocletti missed the European record by just one second, finishing fourth in 30:08.
Bejiga equalled his PB to win the men's race in 26:51 ahead of Kenya's Laban Kiptoo Kosgei, who also dipped under 27 minutes (26:59).
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