Jacob Kiplimo has shared his thoughts after his astonishing world half marathon record of 56:41 at the eDreams Mitja Marató Barcelona by Brooks, admitting that while he aimed for a strong performance, he never expected to rewrite history.
“I am very excited about what I did today,” said the Ugandan star, who is a former Olympic and World Championships bronze medallist in the 10,000m.
Going into the race, Kiplimo had his sights set on a fast time, but not necessarily a world record. However, his aggressive start gave him the momentum to chase history.
“I wanted to have a great race, but I didn’t expect to break the world record,” he revealed.
From the gun, Kiplimo took control, surging ahead in the opening stages to establish a lead.
“I started very strong in the first two kilometres to get away from my rivals. As the kilometres 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.”
That determination paid off as he became the first man to break the 57-minute barrier, shaving 49 seconds off Yomif Kejelcha’s previous world record.
His performance also saw him set a new world best of 39:47 at the 15km mark.
The 24-year-old’s achievement has sent shockwaves through the athletics world and set the stage for his highly anticipated marathon debut in London this April.
Given his stunning display of endurance and speed in Barcelona, all eyes will be on Kiplimo to see if he can translate his half-marathon dominance to the full 42.2km distance.
