Uganda’s long distance runner Jacob Kiplimo has set the new World record in the Half marathon (21 KM).
The 27-year-old Ugandan won the EDP Lisbon Half Marathon with 57:20 in Portugal on Sunday, 8th March 2026.
He sliced 10 seconds off the previous mark set by Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha.
Before Kejelcha produced that mark in Valencia in 2024, Kiplimo had held the previous world record at 57:31, which he achieved in Lisbon in 2021.
Kiplimo led wire-to-wire, hitting world-record splits at 5km (13:28), 10km (27:00), 15km (40:52), and 20km (54:23), with Kenya’s Nicholas Kipkorir taking silver 48 seconds back.
In a race with no pacemakers, Kiplimo covered the first 5km in a swift 13:28.
Kenyan duo Nicholas Kipkorir and Gilbert Kiprotich were tucked close behind the Ugandan for the first half, with the trio passing through 10km in 27:00 as Kiprotich started to fade.
Kiplimo and Kipkorir continued to run side by side and passed through 15km in 40:52.
Realizing the pace had dropped slightly, Kiplimo picked up the tempo and forged ahead, covering the next 5km section in 13:31.
He maintained that pace until the end and crossed the finish line in 57:20. Kipkorir followed in 58:08 with Kiprotich holding on for third (58:59).
I am so happy to break the world record. After the first 10km, I thought the world record was possible. I tried to keep pushing the pace in the final two kilometers.
Jacob Kiplimo
World Athletics praised the car-free effort—unlike his rejected 56:42 from Barcelona last year—and it’s pending ratification.
Uganda Athletics called it another historic moment, as fans cheered their ‘Bosso’ for cementing his distance running dominance.
Meanwhile, Ethiopia’s Tsige Gebreselama successfully defended her title in the women’s race, clocking 1:04:48.
Additional report by World Athletics