Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo, a two-time world cross-country champion, achieved a remarkable feat at the World Athletics race in Barcelona by becoming the first individual to complete the half-marathon in under 57 minutes.
He set a new world record with an impressive time of 56 minutes and 42 seconds. The 24-year-old set the record at the World Athletics Gold Label road race on Sunday.
Kiplimo is a two-time world cross-country champion who held the half-marathon record from 2021 to 2024.
He reclaimed it by slashing 48 seconds off the previous record of 57:30, set by Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha in Valencia in October.
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It is the greatest single improvement on the men’s world half-marathon record.
Racing in ideal weather conditions of 13 degrees Celsius (55 degrees Fahrenheit) with no wind, Kiplimo also set a world best of 39:47 for 15km (9.3 miles) en route to the half-marathon record.
“I am very excited about what I did today,” said Kiplimo, who made his Olympic debut in the 5,000m race in Rio de Janeiro when he was just 15.
“I started strong, I wanted to have a great race, but I didn’t expect to break the world record.
“As the kilometres passed and I saw that I was going at record pace, I told myself that I had to maintain that pace no matter what it took.”