Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo has won the senior men’s race at the 2026 World Cross Country Championship in Tallahassee, Florida (USA).
Kiplimo crossed the finish line in a time of 28:18 to once again beat Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi, who settled for silver in a time of 28:36, while Kenya’s Daniel Ebenyo completed the podium with a time of 28:45.
Kiplimo, who went into the championship as the favourite, proved untouchable, particularly when it mattered most, as he opened an 18-second lead on the final lap.
As he has done previously, Kiplimo allowed the race to develop with Wesley Kipto (USA) leading the way by the end of the first lap. Uganda’s Dan Kibet was just two seconds behind.
By the 4km split, the race started to shape up with the usual suspects (Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda) occupying the top places. At this stage of the race, Tadese Worku (Ethiopia) was in the lead, closely followed by Dolphine Chelimo (Uganda) and Daniel Ebenyo (Kenya), while starman Kiplimo moved into fourth place, making his presence known.
Kiplimo started to assert control just after the halfway stage of the race, edging ahead with Ebenyo, Biniam Mehary and Aregawi following closely.
Shortly after, Kiplimo made his decisive move with a devastating surge to open an 8-second lead over Aregawi and Ebenyo. By the final lap, he had an 18-second lead over the duo and gold was on the horizon.
It’s the third successive World Cross Country title for Kiplimo and has become the fourth man to achieve that feat.