Sutume Asefa Kebede, one of Ethiopia’s top marathon runners and the 2024 runner-up in a record-breaking Chicago marathon, has joined On’s elite athlete roster.
The renowned sportswear company, On Holding AG, revealed in a press release to Fana Broadcasting Corporate that this weekend’s Chicago Marathon marked the 2024 Tokyo Marathon winner’s debut with the brand.
Sutume held her own and maintained second position for the full 42.2 kilometres across the city of Chicago in a race that broke all previous records. Sutume found herself on a world-record course in the early kilometres, holding on to Ruth Chepngetich’s merciless performance, thanks to ideal marathon weather. As Sutume passed the halfway point, she beat her previous personal best by seven seconds, but she was forced to give up any hope of victory as Chepngetich continued to lead.
Sutume finished in 02:17.32, just two minutes behind than her personal best time from earlier this year in Tokyo.
Sutume, an Ethiopian runner, has gained recognition in the global running scene by placing well on the podium and winning prestigious marathon competitions. Her family and school encouraged her to pursue the sport after they saw early on how gifted she was at running. Sutume broke the 25-kilometer national record when she was a youngster, and ever since, she has concentrated on becoming proficient in the half and full marathon distances.
Sutume’s noteworthy accomplishments include winning the Beijing Marathon in 2019, placing second in the Seoul Marathon in 2022, and finishing third in the Tokyo Marathon in 2020 with a time of 2:18.11. She made a triumphant return to Tokyo earlier this year, smashing the course record and personal best with a time of 2:15:55. Sutume is one of the world’s top ten fastest female runners.
The supremacy of Sutume goes beyond whole marathons. She set a new personal record in the half marathon in the Houston Half Marathon in 2024, finishing in 1:04:37, which is the fastest half marathon time in North America and the sixth fastest time in women’s history. She broke the previous record during a 25-kilometer race in Kolkata, India, in 2023.
With gear from Swiss sportswear company On, Sutume participated in its debut race, the Chicago Marathon. She expressed her excitement ahead of her first competition with her new sponsor, saying, “I’m excited to celebrate my debut with On here in Chicago and to officially be part of the team.” In a short period of time, On has accomplished a great deal, and the quality of the products is exceptional. I’m really proud of the work I put in today competing against some of the world’s top runners. I gave it everything I had, therefore it feels amazing to have won a silver medal in my first competition as an On athlete.
“We are delighted to welcome Sutume to the On team,” said Niklas Bühner, the Athlete Manager at On. Her accomplishments are self-evident, and we think that working together will spur even more success. We’re pleased with Sutume’s outstanding performance in Chicago. We are incredibly fortunate to have such a runner on the team, and we are forward to see what this partnership can bring in the future.
