Jacob Kiplimo runs a world half marathon record in Barcelona (© Daniel Meumann for Sportmedia.es)
Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo set a stunning world half marathon record of 56:42* at the eDreams Mitja Marató Barcelona by Brooks, a World Athletics Gold Label road race, on Sunday (16).
With that impressive performance, the 24-year-old two-time world cross country champion improved on Yomif Kejelcha’s previous world record of 57:30 by 48 seconds – the greatest single improvement on the men’s world half marathon record.
Racing in ideal weather conditions of 13ºC with no wind, Kiplimo became the first athlete to break 57 minutes for the distance and also set a world best of 40:07 for 15km en route to his world half marathon record.
In the women’s race, Kenya’s former world record-holder Joyciline Jepkosgei grabbed a convincing win in a lifetime best of 1:04:13 to retain her title in a course record and move to seventh on the world all-time list.
Despite not having announced a world record assault ahead of the race, the stellar form Kiplimo showed on 31 December in Madrid where he effortlessly clocked 26:32 for 10km suggested something great might happen in Barcelona. During the technical meeting held on Saturday afternoon a 2:45/km rhythm was agreed to be set by Kenya’s Edwin Kimosong for the opening kilometres, yet that 58-minute final pace proved too easy for Kiplimo as the Ugandan, eager to regain the world record he set in Lisbon back in 2021, took full command of the race some eight minutes into the event.
From then on Kiplimo offered an incredible display of strength, going faster and faster to reach 5km in 13:34, already on world record pace. By then, Kenyans Geoffrey Kamworor and Samwel Mailu travelled together some 19 seconds in arrears, while Italy’s European champion Yemaneberhan Crippa was a lonesome fourth in 14:02.
Kiplimo began to cover the following kilometres in the 2:40-2:42 range to go through the 10km checkpoint in 26:46, clearly inside the world record pace of 27:15, while Kamworor and Mailu clocked a still quick 27:39 to Crippa’s 28:02. The lonesome leader continued to pick up his cadence over the second half and his 15km split was initially recorded as 39:47 before it was confirmed after the race as 40:07, improving his own world best. By then it became clear that, barring disaster, he would become the world record-holder again as his splits suggested that even a sub-57:00 final clocking was more than feasible.
The Ugandan ace didn’t falter over the closing kilometres and was timed at 53:42 for the 20km mark to complete another 26:46 10km section. He finished in a blistering 56:42 - a ‘beamonesque’ performance as the previous world record stood at 57:30. Way back, Kamworor clinched the runner-up spot in 58:44 and Mailu completed the podium in 59:40.
"It has been the perfect race," said Kiplimo. "Ideal temperature, no wind at all, fantastic circuit - everything went better than expected. The pacemaker set the agreed 2:45 pace but I found myself full of energy and decided to inject a brisker rhythm from the third kilometre, but I never imagined to perform under the 57 minute barrier, that's astonishing.
"I won't compete any more until my marathon debut in London on 27 April."
Title defender Jepkosgei finds no opposition
Although overshadowed by Kiplimo’s feat, the women’s race witnessed a world-class contest led by Jepkosgei. The 31-year-old Kenyan had the company of her compatriot Gladys Chepkurui and the Ethiopian pair of Alemtsehay Zerihun and Addise Kebede for the opening kilometres, but she was a lonesome leader by the 5km point which she reached in 15:25 to Chepkurui and Kebede’s 15:30.
Taking advantage of the slightly downhill 5-10km section, Jepkosgei stepped up her rhythm to go through 10km in 30:08, a massive 37 seconds clear of Chepkurui who herself was well ahead of the Ethiopian duo, Zerihun (31:27) and Kebede (31:46).
The leader continued her relentless campaign over the second half, averaging 3:04 for the third 5km section to clock 45:27 for 15km some 1:14 clear of Chepkurui, who was more than a minute ahead of Zerihun and Kebede.
As she reached the tape, Jepkosgei managed a career best by 16 seconds to take back-to-back titles in Barcelona in 1:04:32, while Chepkurui was a distant second in 1:06:23 to Zerihun’s third place in 1:08:19.
“It’s my third year in a row competing here in Barcelona,” said Jepkosgei. “I managed a runner-up place and two wins so I’m more than satisfied. In addition, I have bettered my PB which was not easy so I can’t ask for more and hope to return next year.
“I’m also impressed by Kiplimo’s great achievement,” added Jepkosgei, who was fresh from a fifth-place finish at the Kenyan Cross Country Championships last weekend.
Kejelcha moves to No.2 all time for 10km in Castellón
Yomif Kejelcha and Medina Eisa secured an Ethiopian double at the 10K Facsa Castellón, a World Athletics Label road race, held in the Spanish coastal city on Sunday (16).
While Kejelcha targeted the world record of 26:24 and had to settle for a 26:31 clocking to move to second on the men’s world all-time list, debutant Eisa also impressed with a 29:25 performance to finish well ahead of her compatriot Likina Amebaw. Eisa’s winning time and Amebaw’s PB of 29:40 move the pair to fourth and ninth respectively on the women’s all-time list.
Kejelcha, who lost his world half marathon record some two minutes after crossing the finish line in Castellón following Jacob Kiplimo’s impressive effort in Barcelona, improved on his PB of 26:37 and broke the Ethiopian record of 26:33 held by Berihu Aregawi.
Perfectly paced by Burundi's Rodrigue Kwizera, Kejelcha covered the opening kilometres at the required pace to attack the world record as he clocked 2:36 for the opening kilometre and then reached 2km in 5:13 and 3km in 7:51. Kejelcha was even running slightly ahead of Kwizera at some points, like he was demanding a quicker rhythm, and despite the frantic cadence the pair were accompanied by the Ethiopian teenager duo of Yismaw Dillu and debutant Kuma Girma.
It was Dillu who first dropped from the leading pack, which went through the halfway point in 13:13, just a single second behind the world record pace. A few metres on, Kwizera dropped out and Kejelcha took charge of the race while Girma hung on to run at his compatriot’s shoulder.
Girma’s resistance came to an end before the sixth kilometre, with the 19-year-old having competed barely 36 hours earlier in Lievin over 3000m. At that point Kejelcha maintained the world record mood thanks to a 15:50 clocking and the same went for the following kilometre as he reached the 7km mark in 18:28. However, an uncomfortable fog hampered Kejelcha’s effort over the closing kilometres and he lost some valuable seconds over the closing stages.
He still managed to achieve the second quickest 10km time in history of 26:31 while Girma, the younger brother of the Olympic and three-time world 3000m steeplechase silver medallist Lamecha Girma, produced a remarkable debut with a 26:58 performance. Kenya’s Brian Kibor completed the podium in 27:05, while France’s European 3000m steeplechase silver medallist Djilali Bedrani was the leading European athlete as he clocked 27:58 for seventh.
“I was absolutely convinced I would break the world record today,” said a disappointed Kejelcha. “It’s a setback for me.”
Successful debut for Eisa
The women’s event witnessed brilliant outings by the Ethiopian pair of world U20 5km record-holder Eisa and the Spain-based Amebaw. In the absence of pacemakers, the 20-year-old Eisa kicked off like a bullet as she went through the opening kilometre in 2:48 with Amebaw some 20 metres behind her in 2:51.
Sandwiched between male athletes, Eisa slowed her frantic pace over the following kilometres but she still covered every kilometre well under 3:00 to reach the 3km mark in 8:40 and the halfway point in 14:35, just 12 seconds slower than the world U20 record she set in Barcelona on 31 December. By then, Amebaw was a comfortable second some 14 seconds in arrears. Well behind that pair, Ethiopia’s Aynadis Mebratu and Kenya’s Cintia Chepngeno fought hard for the third place on the podium another 12 seconds behind.
Over the second half, Eisa managed to maintain her 2:57/2:58 rhythm and also her margin over a consistent Amebaw who also ran inside 3:00 per kilometre pace.
The talented Eisa crossed the finish line in 29:25 to move to fourth all-time, just 10 seconds outside the Ethiopian record set by Yalemzef Yehualaw in Castellón in 2022 – a performance that was a world record at the time.
Amebaw’s reward was a 16-second improvement on her previous best in addition to her runner-up place, while Mebratu completed a sweep for Ethiopia timed at 30:05 to Chepngeno’s 30:17.
Slovenia’s Klara Lukan obliterated her national record thanks to a 30:26 performance to finish just seven seconds shy of the European record of 30:19 held by Britain’s Eilish McColgan.
“It was my first time over 10km at any surface and I didn’t know how I was going to adapt to the distance,” said Eisa, “but everything went well and I’m quite happy with my victory and also the time.”
Emeterio Valiente for World Athletics
*Subject to the usual ratification procedure
