Hellen Obiri, Paula Findlay and new On Athlete Olivia Gürth claim victories
On athletes with impressive results across Road, Track and Triathlon
Zurich, Switzerland, May 22, 2023 - With three wins in different disciplines, On athletes stormed the podiums all around the world in yet another successful weekend for the wider team.
Track: Olivia Gürth claims win at first appearance in On
Six On athletes were in action at the “Lange Laufnacht” in Karlsruhe, Germany and especially steeplechaser Olivia Gürth, who is new in the On kit, had a dream start into the partnership. The 20-year-old German, who had her international senior championship debut at the European Championships in Munich last year, won the 3000 steeple chase event at her first competition in On. Gürth reached the finish in a 35-strong field in a new personal best of 9:41.23 and beat second-placed Michelle Finn from Ireland by two seconds.
1500m specialist Robert Farken had an emotional comeback after a long break to due injury. In the end, he only had to let the winner and meet record holder Filip Ostrowski from Poland pass but set a new personal best on the 800m distance in 1:45.65. Teammate Romain Wyndaele from France finished in 28th (+1:53.79.)
OAC Europe’s Aimee Pratt (GRB), Fabiane Meyer (GER), and Noah Baltus (NED) competed on the 1500m and claimed positions three (4:13.92), four (4:14.29) and 15 (3:39.93) respectively.
Road: Obiri defends title at Great Manchester Run
On Sunday, Hellen Obiri won her second consecutive Great Manchester 10k run. The reigning Boston Marathon champion broke away from the pack early on and once again proved her great road running shape in 2023. She was never in any danger from the rest of her competitors and ran to a solid final time of 31:14, just a minute shy of her personal best of 30:15. Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir was second, Calli Thackery was third.
Triathlon: Paula Findlay steps it up in Chattanooga
After back-to-back fifth places at Ironman 70.3 Oceanside and the PTO European Open, Canadian On athlete Paula Findlay celebrated a dominating win at the Ironman 70.3 in Chattanooga. The women’s-only pro race featured a strong field, but Findlay demonstrated her class by setting the day’s fastest bike (2:18:24) and the day’s third-fastest run (1:21:10) times. She finished in 04:09:44, well over five minutes ahead of second-placed Danielle Lewis.
On Triathletes Frederic Funk (GER), Matt Hanson (USA), and Tom Bishop (GBR), as well as Fenella Langridge (GBR) were in action at Challenge Samorin The Championship in Hungary. After a courageous race that had Funk and teammate Tom Bishop come through the field from the third chase group after the swimming portion, the German came in third after not managing to catch Aaron Royle in the final run part finishing just four seconds behind him in 3:32:55. Bishop had dropped back slightly to claim fifth (03:34:05). On teammate Matt Hanson was 19th (03:46:53). Fenella Langridge raced to place seven in the women’s event (04:03:32).
Trail: Second place for Antoine Charvolin
On Trail Team member Antoine Charvolin continued the UTMB podium trend with a second place at the Trail Alsace Grandest by UTMB. Competing in the Cloudvista, Charvolin completed the 50 km in 03:58:19 and only had to let compatriot Gregory Basilico pass in the end.
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.