Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo set a stunning world half marathon record of 56 minutes 42 seconds at the eDreams Mitja Marató Barcelona by Brooks, a World Athletics Gold Label road race, on Sunday.

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.

READ MORE ON: half-marathon road running world-record