Yemaneberhan Crippa

Yemaneberhan "Yeman" Crippa (born 15 October 1996) is an Ethiopian-born Italian long-distance runner.

He won the gold medal in the 10,000 metres and bronze for the 5000 metres at the European Athletics Championships in 2022, and bronze in the 10,000 m in 2018.

He was adopted in 2001 by an Italian couple, Roberto and Luisa Crippa, and settled with them in Trento.

He was one of the nine children adopted by the couple, together with his older brothers Nekagenet and Kelemu.

At the beginning he concentrated on football before switching to running in 2007, both of his brothers also being runners.

Winning several medals in various age categories, Crippa made his senior debut at the 2016 European Championships in Amsterdam, finishing eighth in the 5000 metres.

A year later, he placed seventh in the 3000 metres at the 2017 European Indoor Championships held in Belgrade.

Crippa claimed four medals in the age-group races at the European Cross Country Championships and a bronze in the senior race in 2019.

He earned the bronze medal in the 5000 m at the 2015 European Junior Championships and gold at the 2017 European U23 Championships.

Crippa holds six Italian records (3000 m, 5000 m out and indoors, 10,000 m, 5 km road race and half marathon) and won five national titles.

Born in Dessie, in the north-eastern part of Ethiopia, Yemaneberhan lost his Ethiopian parents in the Eritrean–Ethiopian War and landed in an orphanage in Addis Abeba.

In 2019, he set the 10,000 metres national record at the Doha World Championship with a time of 27:10.76.

Crippa represented Italy at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, competing in the 5000 m, and 10,000 m events.

In February 2022, he broke the Italian half marathon record with a 59:26 performance in Naples, becoming the first Italian athlete to hold national records in the 3000 m, 5000 m, 10,000 m and half marathon.

Crippa enjoyed a successful year by winning European 10,000 m gold and bronze in the 5000 m at Munich 2022.

In June 2023, he won the European 10,000m Cup.

1Representing Europe