Ugandan Sets Half Marathon Record
Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo shattered the world half marathon record in Lisbon yesterday, clocking an astonishing 57 minutes and 20 seconds. The previous record stood for years, making this one of the most significant distance running breakthroughs in recent memory.
Kiplimo's new world record of 57 minutes and 20 seconds sliced a remarkable 10 seconds off the previous best time. That prior record of 57:30 was set by Ethiopia's Yomif Kejelcha in Valencia on October 27, 2024. This marks a return to the top for the Ugandan, as he previously held the world record with a time of 57:31, which he also set on the same Lisbon course in 2021. In his latest record-breaking run, Kiplimo ran without the aid of official pacemakers. He pushed the pace himself, hitting the 10-kilometer mark in an impressive 27 minutes flat alongside two Kenyan competitors before pulling away. At just 25 years old, Kiplimo has already built a formidable career, securing an Olympic bronze medal in the 10,000m and winning four World Cross Country Championship gold medals. He also had a notable performance that was not ratified, running 56:42 in Barcelona, because he was deemed to have been illegally paced by a car.
