Big wins for Iga Świątek, Helen Bekele Tola and Konstantin Wedel
Another big sports weekend saw many of the On athletes in action around the world. Tennis World No. 1 Iga Świątek and runners Helen Bekele Tola and Konstantin Wedel claimed big wins in Stuttgart and Zürich respectively.
Zürich, Switzerland, April 24, 2023 - Not one, not two, but three On athletes stood on the top steps of the podium this weekend: Tennis prodigy Iga Świątek returned from injury to win the Stuttgart Grand Prix, Helen Bekele Tola pulverized the course record to take the win and Zürich Marathon and Konstantin Wedel claimed the Half-Marathon victory at the same event.
Iga Swiatek returns from injury to claim 13th career title in first appearance in On
Women’s World No. 1 Iga Swiatek was back on the tennis court after an injury had sidelined her for the better part of several weeks and she came back strong. In the championship match, she had to contend with World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka but beat her opponent in straight sets with 6-3, 6-4 to take her second consecutive Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.
With the win, Swiatek claimed her 13th career singles title in her first appearance in On, beating Qinwen Zhang, Czech legend Karolina Pliskova, an injured World No. 4 Ons Jabeur, and Sabalenka on the way.
Helen Bekele Tola wins Zürich Marathon in record time, Wedel takes Half-Marathon victory
On athletes had a successful time at the Zürich Marathon, with Helen Bekele Tola leading the way and winning the women’s Marathon in record time. Tola, who is living and training in Lausanne, won the event in 02:24:14 and improved the previous course record of 02:25:44 set by Lisa Christina Stublić in 2013 by over a minute.
In the Half-Marathon race, On athlete Konstantin Wedel stood on the podium's top step. The German ran a confident race and took a commanding victory after one hour and 5 minutes, over two minutes ahead of second-placed Manu Sassi.
In addition, new On athlete Patrik Wägeli from Switzerland impressed at his first performance in On. He finished eighth in the Marathon ranking and took third place in what was also the Swiss Marathon championship.
Top results also at Vienna and London Marathons
Joel Kipkenei Melly of Team Run2Gether had a great performance at Vienna Marathon and finished sixth in 02:09:57. British On veteran Chris Thompson finished tenth at London Marathon. He finished in a good 02:11:50 but missed out on his personal best from 2021 by approximately a minute. Fellow On Athlete Tom Gröschel followed in twelfth. For the German, the clock stopped at 02:13:29.
Kieran Lumb claims two second places at Oregon Relays in his first appearance in On
Fellow new joiner Kieran Lumb from Canada was in action at Oregon Relays and claimed second place in the Mile race. Lumb finished in 3:58.68 and only had to let Johnny Gregorek pass. He also finished second in the 4x Mile relay together with teammates Matt Wisner, Jackson Mestler, and Aidan Tooker.
Dimity-Lee Duke second at Challenge Taiwan
Over 8,000 athletes lined up this weekend for Asia’s largest long-distance at Challenge Taiwan in Taitung and the return of pro racing to the event. Dimity-Lee Duke was on the start for the On Triathlon team and was on the course for the podium already after the swimming portion of the event. She exited the water one minute and 30 seconds after leader and eventual winner Amelia Watkinson. But just as Watkinson’s lead was never in question, neither was Duke’s second place, and she crossed the line 24 minutes down in 4:27:34.
About On
On was born in the Swiss Alps with one goal: to revolutionize the sensation of running by empowering all to run on clouds. Thirteen years after market launch, On delivers industry-disrupting innovation in premium footwear, apparel, and accessories for high-performance running, outdoor, and all-day activities. Fueled by customer recommendation, On’s award-winning CloudTec® innovation, purposeful design, and groundbreaking strides in sportswear’s circular economy have attracted a fast-growing global fan base — inspiring humans to explore, discover and dream on.
On is present in more than 60 countries globally and engages with a digital community on www.on.com.