Yeman Crippa is the new face of On

Yeman Crippa has just begun. The Italian middle-distance runner is the new face of On, one of the most talked-about sports brands of the moment thanks to its clever blend of lifestyle and performance, athletes and pop icons, which has managed to climb the ranks in the world of running and beyond. The perfect brand for someone like Yeman, who is used to running literally, quickly rising through the ranks of the group to stay alone in the lead. Crippa currently holds the Italian records for the distances of 3000m, 5000m, 10,000m, and half marathon, and is the second fastest Italian to have ever run a marathon, with an impressive time of 02:06.06 at the Seville Marathon in 2024. We had the opportunity to exchange a few words with Yemen a few days after the official announcement, which came on January 25th.

"On intends to bring me into the future together with the people and the group that have been with me every day for years. I really liked this attitude, considering my whole family and not just me as an athlete. Being able to bring together the people who help me achieve results, from my coach, to the physiotherapist, and my training partners, is what made me decide to choose On," Crippa tells us. Embracing the athlete in all aspects is currently the flagship quality of the Swiss brand, which carefully chooses its ambassadors and values them with a 360-degree personalization of the message. "When I went to Zurich two weeks ago to meet the company, I was able to meet the founder who welcomed me and showed me how the company works, and at that moment I really felt like the center of attention. I am sure that together, both myself and On, will achieve great goals."

Of course, shoes also matter, the work tool for someone who is used to wearing out soles in training and races. "I have a competitor, a friend, a training partner, Yohanes Chiappinelli, who by the way took away the Italian record for the marathon in December, and he has been talking to me about this growing company for a few years now, and how the shoes were good. In the last two years, we have seen many On athletes, from tennis to athletics, and that's what sparked my interest". Crippa will start his season with the Barcelona half marathon and then continue with the highly anticipated London Marathon, his first races as an On athlete. Two crucial tests for both him and his brand new On shoes: "The performance shoe is very difficult to make nowadays because it has to be first and foremost a lightweight shoe, but at the same time protective. In the past, a lightweight shoe was very low, dry, and to make it so light, everything was removed, so zero protection. Now what we are looking for is a lightweight shoe with protection, so the impact must be soft. And what I noticed is that the impact with the asphalt is very soft, but there is also an exceptional push, a return".

A technology that will be successful both among professionals like Crippa and among the many amateurs and running enthusiasts, who are multiplying at the speed of light in recent years. A trend that marked last year and shows no signs of slowing down, quite the opposite. "I noticed that there has been an increase in runners, regular people who do it as a hobby and who have started running to feel better. I'm not sure exactly what has changed in people's routines, but somehow they have managed to discover, even by trying it out with friends for fun, that running is really beautiful and gives you unique sensations. And if I feel them, who run every day, imagine someone who goes when they feel like it, when they need to release some tension, going for a run in the evening, early in the morning, during lunch break." Sensations that On has definitely invested in, as demonstrated by collaborations with the world of fashion and now the sponsorship of Yeman Crippa, the new top athlete of a brand that aims high.