UGANDA’S JACOB KIPLIMO became the first person to break the 57-minute barrier for the half-marathon as he set a stunning new world record of 56:42 in Barcelona on Sunday.
The 24-year-old two-time world cross-country champion, who held the half-marathon record between 2021 and 2024, reclaimed the record 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 with no wind, Kiplimo also set a world best of 39:47 for 15km 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 in Rio 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.”
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Kiplimo becomes first person ever to run half-marathon in under 57 minutes
UGANDA’S JACOB KIPLIMO became the first person to break the 57-minute barrier for the half-marathon as he set a stunning new world record of 56:42 in Barcelona on Sunday.
The 24-year-old two-time world cross-country champion, who held the half-marathon record between 2021 and 2024, reclaimed the record by slashing 48 seconds off the previous record of 57:30, set by Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha in Valencia in October.
It is the greatest single improvement on the men’s world half marathon record.
Racing in ideal weather conditions of 13 degrees celsius with no wind, Kiplimo also set a world best of 39:47 for 15km 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 in Rio 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.”
– © AFP 2025
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