Yemaneberhan Crippa formerly of Ethiopia, a refugee of the Tigray war, signed with Swiss sportswear company On and now represents Italy.
The 28-year-old holds a 10K personal best of 27:08 which is the Italian national record. He ran that performance in Germany at Adi-Dassler-Straße 1, Herzogenaurach in April last year. Crippa’s 10,000m best is nearly as good having clocked 27:10.76 which he ran during the 2019 Doha World Athletics Championships. Just as impressive are his half marathon and marathon bests of 69:36 and 2:06:06, which he ran at the Napoli Half in 2022 and Seville in 2024, respectively.

If anything he is consistent over the longer distances.
According to an On press release, Crippa has left his mark on the world stage, winning gold at the 2022 European Championships in Munich in the 10,000m and in the half-marathon distance in 2024 at his home European Championships in Rome. Crippa currently holds the Italian records for the 3000m, 5000m, 10,000m and half-marathon distances and is the second fastest Italian to ever run a marathon.
Crippa said: “I’m really excited to partner with On, such an innovative and forward-thinking brand that truly understands and supports its athletes. I can’t wait to see what we can achieve together.”
Crippa was born in Dessie, in north-eastern Ethiopia. He grew up living with his family until the Eritrean-Ethopia war. Parentless, Crippa and some of his brothers and sisters were moved to an orphanage in the capital of Addis Ababa. At seven years old, he and five of his siblings were adopted by an Italian couple and moved to a small village in Trent.
Originally interested in football (soccer), Crippa soon realized that his running abilities outshone his footballing skills and decided to put his energy and talent into running. He celebrated his international senior debut at the European Championships in Amsterdam in 2018, finishing eighth in the 5000m.
Crippa will make his official debut for On at the Edreams Barcelona Half Marathon on February 16th.