Jimmy Gressier

Jimmy Gressier (born 4 May 1997)^[2] is a French middle- and long-distance runner. He won gold medals in the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres at the 2019 European Under-23 Championships. Gressier claimed four individual medals at the European Cross Country Championships, including three U23 titles. He is the European record holder for the 5 km road race.^[3]

Jimmy Gressier

Gressier at the 2022 European Athletics Championships
Personal information
Born	(1997-05-04) 4 May 1997 (age 28) Boulogne-sur-Mer, France[1]
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight	62 kg (137 lb)
Sport
Country	France
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	Middle-, Long-distance running
Club	Boulogne AC
Coached by	Dinielle Arnaud (2015–)
Medal record Athletics Representing  France European Running Championships 2025 Brussels Half maration European U23 Championships 2019 Gävle 5000 m 2019 Gävle 10,000 m European Cross Country Championships 2017 Šamorín U23 Race 2018 Tilburg U23 Race 2019 Lisbon U23 Race 2021 Dublin Senior Race

European 5 km road record

Jimmy Gressier held European 5 km road race record of 13:18 from February 2020 until April 2022, when Italy's Yemaneberhan Crippa set a new continental best mark of 13:14. On 12 February 2023, Gressier regained his record at the Monaco Run – 5 km Herculis with a time of 13:12.^[3]

Miscellaneous

Gressier is known for race finish celebrations. At the 2018 edition of the European cross country while in first place at the end of the U23 race he attempted a football player like knee slide but ended up falling flat on his face as he crossed the line.^[4] At the 2019 edition of the same race Gressier was so far clear of the other competitors that he walked across the line. At the 2019 French Cross Country Championships, Gressier began slapping hands with the crowd and high-fived a mascot before looking back to discover that he wasn’t leading as big a margin as he thought and had to sprint for the finish.^[5] At the French Cross Country Championships in March 2023, he celebrated by eating a crepe before the finish line. He attempted, unsuccessfully, to feed some of his victory crepe to second-place finisher Markus Georger, who declined. He then offered some to third-place Fabien Palcau, who happily accepted.^[6] He celebrated his victory in the half marathon at the 2025 European Running Championships in April 2025, by hurdling over the victory tape.^[7]

Personal life

He lived in Boulogne-sur-Mer in Northern France and played football as well as competing in athletics as a teenager. In 2015, Gressier was selected to play for a football team representing France at the World Schools Football Cup in Guatemala, as well as being selected for the Junior Cross-Country World Championships in China. However, it became difficult to pursue both and he stopped football at the age of 17 years-old.^[8]

Achievements

International competitions

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Result
2015	World Cross Country Championships	Guiyang, China	80th	Junior race	27:10
	European Cross Country Championships	Hyères, France	4th	Junior race	17:48
			1st	Junior team	27 pts
2016	World U20 Championships	Bydgoszcz, Poland	10th	5000 m	13:55.07
	European Cross Country Championships	Chia, Italy	4th	Junior race	17:19
			1st	Junior team	26 pts
2017	European U23 Championships	Bydgoszcz, Poland	–	5000 m	DQ
	European Cross Country Championships	Šamorín, Slovakia	1st	U23 race	24:35
			1st	U23 team	7 pts
2018	Mediterranean U23 Championships	Jesolo, Italy	1st	5000 m	14:35.85
	Mediterranean Games	Tarragona, Spain	8th	5000 m	14:01.13
	European Cross Country Championships	Tilburg, Netherlands	1st	U23 race	23:37
			1st	U23 team	11 pts
2019	European Indoor Championships	Glasgow, United Kingdom	7th	3000 m	8:00.89
	European U23 Championships	Gävle, Sweden	1st	5000 m	14:16.55
			1st	10,000 m	28:44.17
	European Cross Country Championships	Lisbon, Portugal	1st	U23 race	24:17
			1st	U23 team	17 pts
2021	European Indoor Championships	Toruń, Poland	8th	3000 m	7:52.43
	Olympic Games	Tokyo, Japan	13th	5000 m	13:11.33
	European Cross Country Championships	Dublin, Ireland	3rd	Senior race	30:34
			1st	Senior team	13 pts
2022	European 10,000m Cup	Pacé, France	1st	10,000 m	27:24.51
	World Championships	Eugene, United States	11th	10,000 m	27:44.55
	European Championships	Munich, Germany	4th	10,000 m	27:49.84
2023	World Championships	Budapest, Hungary	9th	5000 m	13:17.20
2024	European Championships	Rome, Italy	5th	10,000 m	28:01.42
	Olympic Games	Paris, France	27th (h)	5000 m	14:09.95
			13th	10,000 m	26:58.67

Personal bests

• 800 metres – 1:54.33 (Calais 2017)
• 1000 metres – 2:24.84 (Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise 2017)
• 1500 metres – 3:35.97 (Marseille 2021)
  • 1500 metres indoor – 3:37.41 (Metz 2022)
• 3000 metres – 7:53.81 (Montgeron 2018)
  • 3000 metres indoor – 7:39.70 (Karlsruhe 2021)
• 5000 metres – 12:51.59 (Paris 2025) NR
  • 5000 metres indoor - 12:54.92 (Boston 2025) AR
• 10,000 metres – 26:58.67 (Paris 2024) NR
• 3000 m steeplechase – 8:24.72 (Décines 2020)

Road

• 5 kilometres – 13:12 (Monaco 2023) AR
• 10 kilometres – 27:40 (Valencia 2023)