Ugandan · Kapeeka, Uganda · Born 14 November 2000Half marathon world record holder.
Jacob Kiplimo was born on 14 November 2000 and grew up in Kween, a rural district in eastern Uganda, running a five-kilometre trek to and from school each day and taking inspiration from his four older brothers, who trained as runners before him. Kiplimo won his first international medal at the World Half Marathon Championships as a teenager, and went on to win back-to-back World Cross Country titles, becoming one of the most versatile distance runners in the sport across track, road, and cross country. Kiplimo won bronze in the 10,000m at both the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics and the 2022 World Championships, competing behind his former training partner Joshua Cheptegei, and broke the world half marathon record in Barcelona in 2025, though the mark was controversially not ratified due to assistance from a lead pace car. Kiplimo won the 2025 Chicago Marathon in his second attempt at the distance, and became the third-fastest marathoner in history in 2026, running 2:00:28 at the London Marathon, while also officially reclaiming the world half marathon record in Lisbon, remaining one of the most dominant distance runners in the world across every format of the sport.
Distance (Half Marathon)
How They Played
Strong finishing kick and tactical racing ability
Lasting Impact
Rising star of Ugandan distance running with multiple world medals
Career Honours
- 2020 Olympic bronze 10000m
- half marathon WR
Ugandan Athletes