Jacob Kiplimo Breaks Half-Marathon Record

This victory was a redemption of sorts. In February 2025, Kiplimo ran an astonishing 56:42 in Barcelona, but the time was not ratified by World Athletics. Officials ruled he gained an unfair advantage by running too close to the lead pace car for a significant portion of the race. The previous official record was held by Ethiopia's Yomif Kejelcha, who ran 57:30 in Valencia in October 2024. Kiplimo's new time not only reclaims the record but improves upon Kejelcha's mark by a commanding 10 seconds. Lisbon has proven to be a special course for the 25-year-old Ugandan. He first broke the world record there in 2021 with a time of 57:31, a mark that stood for three years. The city's course has now been the site of three official men's half-marathon world records since 2004. Running without the aid of pacemakers, Kiplimo set a blistering early pace, covering the first 5km in 13:28 and the first 10km in 27:00. He made a decisive move after the 15km mark to pull away and secure the record. This world record adds to an already stellar career for Kiplimo. He is a four-time World Cross Country champion, a 10,000m Olympic bronze medalist, and a double gold medalist in the 5,000m and 10,000m at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.