World Record is a term that is thrown around all too casually in the track and field realm. Way too many claim these superlatives. But every now and then someone comes along who breaks all notions of what’s common. Those in the audience for the Barcelona half marathon on the 15th witnessed one such record breaker in action. The man in question is none other than Uganda’s own Jacob Kiplimo, who broke the half marathon world record spectacularly.

The 24-year-old speedster was the first man in history to down the 21 kilometers in under 57 minutes. What seemed like an unreal task turned out to be a historical moment. But those who have been following the man for a long time know that this is not a new occurrence at all. After all, back in 2018, the Kween native clocked a staggering 26:32 seconds in the San Silvestre Vallecana 10 km road race to win it.

But that’s not all. In his quest to win the race, Jakob Kiplimo beat some of the biggest names in the long-distance world. He locked horns with the likes of Edwin Kimosong and Geoffrey Kamworor from Kenya, among others. But the biggest obstacle was by far from Canadian Grant Fisher, who held the record for both 3000m and 5000m since February 2025.

But against one world record holder, the Ugandan himself showed a record-breaking performance. The 2x World Cross-Country champion equaled the personal best of the legendary Grant Fisher. Coming to the race, Jacob Kiplimo was expected to have a fine outing. However, exceeding every expectation, Kiplimo is now a made man.

Jacob Kiplimo’s winning despite tough competitors

The marathon was by no means easy for Jakob. But he ended up beating the previous world record held by Ethiopian Yomif Kejelcha, which stood at 57:30. This was established back in Valencia in October 2024. And that’s not all. Analyzing his splits will give yet another shocking piece of information. Kiplimo covered the 5k mark in 13:34 and reached 10k at a blistering time of 26:46.

Next up, he finished the 15k in 39:46, and this is where things become utterly interesting. Calculating the difference between his 5k and 15k timing, the number comes at a surprising 26:33 for 10k. This is quite significant as it is the same personal best that Grant Fisher recorded back in San Juan Capistrano in 2022! 

Fisher also won Olympic bronze medals for his performances in the 5k and 10k categories in Paris. Thus, equaling the record of such an athlete will do a world of good to the Ugandan. Surely, Kiplimo will most likely make a strong case for himself if he decides to participate in the $10,000 category too. 

After hitting the 15k mark, Kiplimo really upped the ante. He reached the 20k, clocking 53:09, and ultimately clinched the world record, much to his delight. Taking a look at the second and third positions, the achievement of Kiplimo looked even more astounding. Geoffrey Kamworor stood second, clocking 58:44, while the third position went to Samuel Mailu, who had a timing of 59:40.

Speaking to Olympics.com, Kiplimo stated that he felt full of excitement for his incredible feat at Barcelona. He also mentioned that despite wanting to make an impact, Kiplimo never imagined that he would break his record.

“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 a record pace, I told myself that I had to maintain that pace no matter what it took,” said Kiplimo. Thus, it is quite evident that things are looking quite rosy for Jacob Kiplimo at the moment. It will be interesting to see how things pan out in the upcoming future.