Jacob Kiplimo has broken the half marathon world record with an incredible time of 56:42 at the eDreams Mitja Marató Barcelona by Brooks, a World Athletics Gold Label road race, on Sunday, February 16, 2025. Kiplimo became the first athlete to break 57 minutes for the distance, setting a world best of 39:47 for 15km en route to his record.
According to World Athletics, Kiplimo completed the 21km course under ideal weather conditions of 13ºC with no wind. His performance surpassed the previous record of 57:30 set by Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha in October 2024. “Racing in ideal weather conditions, Kiplimo became the first athlete to break 57 minutes for the distance,” World Athletics stated.
President Yoweri Museveni congratulated Kiplimo on his historic achievement, stating, “Hearty congratulations to Jacob Kiplimo, who has this morning broken the world half marathon record in Barcelona with a time of 56 minutes and 41 seconds.”
Kiplimo’s achievement marks the greatest single improvement on the men’s world half marathon record, beating Kejelcha’s previous record by 49 seconds. The 24-year-old two-time world cross country champion continues to solidify his legacy as one of the finest long-distance runners.
Jacob Kiplimo’s athletic journey includes winning a bronze medal in the 10,000m events at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 World Athletics Championships. He also claimed gold medals in the 5000m and 10,000m events at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and secured a silver and gold medal at the 2019 and 2023 World Cross Country Championships, respectively.
