In a historic feat, Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo became the first athlete to complete a half marathon in under 57 minutes, setting a new world record of 56 minutes and 42 seconds in Barcelona. The 24-year-old runner surpassed the previous record of 57:30, held by Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha since October in Valencia, by an impressive 48 seconds, marking the most significant improvement ever in the men’s half-marathon world record.
Kiplimo, a former Olympic and World Championships bronze medalist in the 10,000m, expressed his astonishment at the achievement, stating, “I am very excited about what I did today. I wanted to have a great race, but I didn’t expect to break the world record.” He explained his strategy, noting, “I started very strong in the first two kilometers to get away from my rivals. As the kilometers 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.”
During the World Athletics event, held under ideal conditions with a temperature of 13°C and no wind, Kiplimo also set a world best of 39:47 for the 15km mark. His compatriot Geoffrey Kamworor took second place with a time of 58:44, while Kenya’s Samuel Mailu finished third at 59:40.
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