Kiplimo runs under 57 minutes to break the world half marathon record
Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo became the first athlete to run a half marathon in under 57 minutes when he shattered the existing world record at the Barcelona Half Marathon on Sunday with a time of 56 minutes and 42 seconds.
The 24-year-old shaved a huge 48 seconds off the previous world record of 57 minutes and 30 seconds set by Ethiopian Yomif Kejelcha last year and will now be eyeing up further success at the London Marathon on April 27 when he'll make his debut competing against what has been called the "greatest elite field" in the event's history.
Kiplimo previously held the record after clocking 57 minutes and 31 seconds in Lisbon in 2021 but his record was then eclipsed by one second by Kejelcha at the 2024 Valencia Half Marathon last October. The new 48-second improvement on Kejelcha's record is the largest progression in the record's history.
"I am very excited about what I did today. I started strong, I wanted to have a great race, but I didn’t expect to break the world record," said the two-time world cross-country champion. "I started very strong in the first two kilometres to get away from my rivals. 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."
Kiplimo's competitor Geoffrey Kamworor finished in second place with a time of 58 minutes and 44 seconds while Kenya's Samuel Mailu finished in third with a time of 29 minutes and 40 seconds.
In the women's race, it was 32-year-old Kenyan Joyciline Jepkosgei who stormed to first place with a time of 1 hour, 4 minutes, and 11 seconds.
