The Paris Marathon has kept all its promises. For his return to his usual appointment, after the cancellation of 2020 and the postponement of 2021, the event registered strong performances on all fronts, on Sunday, April 3. However, the winter temperatures could have disturbed the runners, but in the absence of wind and under a radiant sun, the headliners of this 45th edition responded by present.
First out on the Champs-Élysées, the women immediately showed their colours. Launched with the goal of erasing the race record, the head of the race started on crazy bases: 2h17”, against the 2h20” planned. Rhythm on which only the Kenyan Judith Jeptum seemed comfortable.
The 26-year-old athlete left her competitors no chance by escaping at kilometer 28, part of the race marked by tunnels – and therefore its ups and downs. – banks of the Seine.
Isolée, Judith Jeptum n’a que légèrement flanché sur les derniers kilomètres pour s’imposer en 2h19’48”. La Kényane ainsi mi une claque à son record personnel (2h22’30”) et relegated ses premières adversaires à plus de deux minutes. Above all, Judith Jeptum lowered the old record of the event that she held by more than a minute of the compatriot Pureza Rionoripo (2h20’55”). On the French side, the first Frenchwoman, Anaïs Quemener, finished in 14th place, in 2h37’26”, four minutes less than her previous record set in Valencia in December.
Among the men, the outcome of the race took much longer to resolve. Starting at kilometer 33, on the difficult climb of Suchet Boulevard, the Ethiopian Seifu Tura began to clean up and thus blew up the peloton. If his compatriot Deso Gelmisa stayed glued to his shoes, the Frenchman Morhad Amdouni came back slightly.
As is often the case on the Parisian tarmac, victory was decided between riders from East Africa. And it was in the sprint where Deso Gelmisa, sixth last year in Paris, got his first victory in a great marathon, in 2h05’07 “, a few seconds ahead of his compatriot.
On the third step of the podium, the Frenchman Morhad Amdouni signed an exceptional performance. On his third attempt over the distance, he bettered the French record, held since 2003 by Benoît Z, by more than a minute.wierzchiewski in 2h06’36”. At the end of a perfectly controlled race, the Val d’Europe athletics member completed the 42.195 kilometers in 2h05’22”.
“I am very happy to break this record, especially in Paris. Running here is a choice of the heart. I really wanted to show that French runners can lead a marathon,” declared the marathon runner, at the end of the race. Second Frenchman in 2h10’55”, Michaël Gras shows a little more the good health of the french marathonamong men today.
In the disabled race, Frenchman Julien Casoli won for the fifth time (after 2012, 2015, 2019 and 2021) in a race marked by an incident -not serious- at kilometer 5, the leading car collided standing still for a short time, thus blocking the pursuers.