The 24-year-old Ugandan was competing in the Barcelona half marathon where he became the first person ever to complete the distance in under 57 minutes, per World Athletics, which added that the record would be subject to its usual ratification procedure.
Kiplimo finished the race with a time of 56:42 and smashed the previous world record by 48 seconds, the biggest ever single improvement on the men’s half marathon world record. Before Kiplimo’s incredible run, Ethiopian athlete Yomif Kejelcha held the record with a time of 57:30.
“It has been the perfect race,” Kiplimo said after his run, per World Athletics. “Ideal temperature, no wind at all, fantastic circuit – everything went better than expected.
“The pacemaker set the agreed 2:45 pace but I found myself full of energy and decided to inject a brisker rhythm from the third kilometer, but I never imagined performing under the 57-minute barrier, that’s astonishing.”
Kiplimo ran at an average speed of 22.3 kilometers per hour on his way to breaking the record and finished more than two minutes ahead of Kenya’s Geoffrey Kamworor in second. Samwel Mailu, also from Kenya, finished another 56 seconds back in third.
Kiplomo now has his sights set on the marathon, and said he will be resting until the London Marathon in April where he will be making his debut at the distance.
Meanwhile, Kenya’s Joyciline Jepkosgei set a course record in the women’s race, finishing in 1:04:13 to fend off her compatriot Gladys Chepkurui in second and Ethiopia’s Alemtsehay Zerihun in third.
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