The Kenyan Benard Biwott (2:05:25) claimed the men's race and the Ethiopian Bedatu Hirpa (2:20:45) took the women's race Jason Pointeau (2:13:36) and Loréna Meningand (2:36:33) were the top-ranked French runners Julien Casoli bagged his sixth win in Paris along with the French national title in the wheelchair race
African runners once again dominated the Schneider Electric Marathon de Paris, the biggest marathon on Earth. Nine men reached km 30 in the lead group, but the Kenyan Benard Biwott, a few weeks shy of his 23rd birthday, unleashed a devastating acceleration at km 33 that blew the group to smithereens. He opened up a decisive gap in no time and cruised home in 2:05:25, just 54 seconds off the course record still held by fellow Kenyan Elisha Rotich, who had to settle for twelfth this time in 2025. "I'm really happy with the win", beamed the victor. "I pushed hard all the way and I'm really pleased with my time. It was very tough, but I gave it everything I had." He succeeded the Ethiopian Mulugeta Uma as champion and delivered the sixteenth win for Kenya in the streets of Paris. The Djiboutian Ibrahim Hassan put in a stellar run to take second in 2:06:13, with another Kenyan, Sila Kiptoo rounding out the podium in 2:06:21.
On the French side, Hassan Chahdi, 20th at the last Olympic Games, spent a long time in the lead group, only to throw in the towel shortly after the halfway points. Jason Pointeau was the best French performer in fifteenth place. His time of 2:13:36 put him just ahead of Florian Caro and Yohan Durand. "Being the top French runner means a lot to me", said Pointeau. "It wasn't even on my radar because Hassan [Chahdi] was on the start list. I was hoping to be the top French entrant… after him. I deduced from the cheers of the crowds that I was in that position, so I held on to that thought. I felt rubbish from the first couple of strides. I told myself I had to hang on in there. In the end, the last 15 K were not that bad. I'm pleased because I managed to finish on a high note."
Women's race: Ethiopia's Bedatu Hirpa emerges victorious
After a cautious first half of the women's race, four runners broke free going into the final 10 kilometres. On the run-in towards Avenue Foch, the Ethiopian Bedatu Hirpa —who will soon turn 25 and took the Dubai Marathon in a personal best of 2:18:27 back in January— dropped her last challenger, fellow Ethiopian Dera Dida, to cross the finish line with a time of 2:20:45 and secure the second Ethiopian triumph in Paris. She succeeded her countrywoman Mestawut Fikir. "I roared as I went over the finish line because I really wanted to win the Marathon de Paris. I was over the moon and wanted to express just how happy I was. It was a tough race, but victory washes away the suffering." Dera Dida was the best of the rest at 4 seconds. The Kenyan Angela Tanui (2:21:07) took the bottom step of the podium. After flirting with the course record (2:19:48, set in 2022 by the Kenyan Judith Keptum, eighth today) for most of the race, the lead group faded somewhat in the final kilometres. Loréna Meningand's metronomic consistency made her the top French runner, twelfth overall with a time of 2:36:33.
Wheelchair races: Julien Casoli scores a double whammy with sixth win and the French championship
Two generations crossed swords in the wheelchair race, which doubled as the French championship. The Frenchmen Julien Casoli, 42, and Thibault Daurat, 22, soon hit the front. The veteran turned out to have that extra oomph on the home straight and picked up his sixth triumph in Paris (2012, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2025). "This might be the sweetest one yet", he said. "The years keep ticking by and I keep thinking that maybe this is my last. I faced very long odds today, which makes it even sweeter, especially with Thibault in second place. He was a very tough nut to crack. He embodies the future of French disabled sports." The Colombian Francisco Sanclemente rounded out the podium. Meanwhile, the Mexican Yeni Aide Hernandez Mendieta claimed the women's race in 2:13:05.
