The Swiss brand picked four young talents from Italy and Finland.
Swiss sportswear brand On has added Yemaneberhan (Yeman) Crippa, Nathalie Blomqvist, Federico Riva and Ludovica Cavalli to its team.
Yeman Crippa, 28, is the reigning Italian record holder in the 3000m, 5000m, 10,000m and half-marathon distances. He won gold in the 10,000m at the 2022 European Championships in Munich and in the half-marathon distance in 2024 at the European Championships in Rome. With an impressive 02:06.06 at the Sevilla Marathon in 2024, he is also the second fastest Italian ever to run a marathon. Born in Dessie, in north-eastern Ethiopia, Crippa was orphaned by the Eritrean-Ethopia war. At seven years old, he and five of his siblings were adopted by an Italian couple and moved to a small village near Trento.
Nathalie Blomqvist, 23, from Finland is a rising star in long-distance running. She claimed bronze at the 2023 U23 European Cross Country Championships and the Finnish National indoor 3000m title in 2024. She made her Olympic debut in Paris in 2024, finishing 13th in the 5000m final.
Italian middle-distance runner Federico Riva, 24, boasts a national record in the 2000m indoor and multiple national titles. A former AS Roma youth footballer, he moved to running at age 13. In 2024, he won national titles in the 3000m, 1500m and 3000m short track. He represented Italy in the 1500m at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Ludovica Cavalli, 24, is an Italian middle-distance talent. She won multiple Italian national titles in the 1500m and 3000m distances. Her journey began with steeplechase after transitioning from football at age 14. She achieved a bronze medal in the 1500m at the 2022 Mediterranean Games. In the 2023 season, she achieved an 11th-place finish in the 1500m final at the World Championships in Budapest. After representing Italy at the 2024 Paris Olympics during the summer, she finished the year with a team gold medal at the European Cross Country Championships.
