Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo made history in Barcelona by becoming the first person to run a half marathon in under 57 minutes, breaking the world record by 48 seconds.
The 24-year-old completed the race in 56 minutes and 42 seconds, surpassing the previous record of 57:30 set by Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha in Valencia last October. Kiplimo’s time represents the largest single improvement in the men’s world half-marathon record.
“I’m very excited about what I achieved today,” said Kiplimo, who has previously won Olympic and World Championship bronze in the 10,000m. “I aimed for a great race, but I didn’t expect to break the world record. I started strong in the first two kilometres to pull away from my competitors, and as I realized I was on pace for a record, I pushed myself to maintain that speed.”
In addition, Kiplimo set a world best of 39:47 for the 15km mark during the World Athletics event, which took place in ideal conditions of 13ºC with no wind.
