Sun Feb 16 12:09:09 UTC 2025: ## Kiplimo Shatters Half-Marathon World Record in Barcelona
**Barcelona, Spain –** Ugandan runner Jacob Kiplimo has rewritten history, smashing the men’s half-marathon world record by an astounding 48 seconds at the World Athletics Gold Label road race in Barcelona on Sunday. Kiplimo, a two-time world cross-country champion, completed the race in a breathtaking 56 minutes and 42 seconds, becoming the first person ever to break the 57-minute barrier.
The 24-year-old’s performance represents the greatest single improvement ever recorded in the men’s half-marathon world record. He previously held the record from 2021 to 2024, but Ethiopian Yomif Kejelcha’s 57:30 time in Valencia had surpassed it. Kiplimo’s run also included a new world best time of 39:47 for 15 kilometers.
Racing under near-perfect conditions – 13 degrees Celsius with no wind – Kiplimo expressed surprise at his achievement. “I am very excited about what I did today,” he stated. “I started strong and wanted a great race, but I didn’t expect to break the world record. As the kilometers passed and I saw that I was going at record pace, I told myself that I had to maintain that pace no matter what it took.” The record is subject to the usual ratification procedures.
First Piper 