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Kiplimo breaks world half marathon record in Lisbon
Reading Time: 2min | Sun. 08.03.26. | 16:18
The Kenyan duo of Kipkorir and Kiprotich came second and third respectively
Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo on Sunday, 8 March once again broke the men’s world half marathon record after triumphing at the EDP Lisbon Half marathon in a time of 57:20.
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Kiplimo, who at one point held the record after his record-breaking at the same scene in 2021, produced another emphatic performance to rewrite the history books, this acting as his dream preparation for the London Marathon set for Sunday, 26 April.
🤕 —• waiting on those World Athletics 🤡 to annull this too — like they did to Jacob Kiplimo’s feat in Barcelona earlier!
— Magyezi (@gyezi_) March 8, 2026
📍EDP Lisbon Half Marathon pic.twitter.com/npe86mwsnG
Coming in as the race favourite, Kiplimo, a three-time world cross country champion, shaved 10 seconds off Yomif Kejelcha’s official world record for the distance, while taking 11 seconds from his previous world record of 57:31 in Lisbon five years ago.
“I’m so happy to break the world record,” Kiplimo told World Athletics post-race. “After the first 10km, I thought the world record was possible. I tried to keep pushing the pace in the final two kilometres.”
In a race with no pacemakers, Kiplimo covered the first five kilometers in a swift 13:28.
Kenyan duo Nicholas Kipkorir and Gilbert Kiprotich were tucked close behind the Ugandan for the first half, with the trio passing through 10km in 27:00 as Kiprotich started to fade.
Kiplimo and Kipkorir continued to run side by side and passed through 15km in 40:52.
Realising the pace had dropped slightly, Kiplimo picked up the tempo and forged ahead, covering the next 5km section in 13:31.
He maintained that pace until the end and crossed the finish line in 57:20. Kipkorir followed in 58:08 with Kiprotich holding on for third (58:59).
Kiplimo had clocked 56:42 in Barcelona last year, but it could not be ratified as a world record, because the race conditions were not fully compliant with World Athletics rules.
Meanwhile in the women’s race, Ethiopia’s Tsige Gebreselama successfully defended her title, clocking 1:04:48, edging out a Kenyan trio of Janeth Chepngetich, Regina Wambui and Tabitha Njeri, who came in second, third and fourth respectively.