Even the fastest performance can sting if it isn’t officially recognized – a lesson Jacob Kiplimo learned the hard way! In February 2025, he ran the fastest half-marathon anyone had ever run. Yet World Athletics did not ratify the time as a world record. That setback would have discouraged most athletes, but Kiplimo turned it into motivation. In March 2026, he returned to the road and secured a fully ratified world record, hence reclaiming his place in history.

On March 8, 2026, Kiplimo returned to the road at the EDP Lisbon Half Marathon and made history the right way. He finished the 21.1 km race in 57 minutes 20 seconds, a time fully ratified by World Athletics. This officially pushed down the previous world record of 57:30, set by Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha in Valencia in 2024.

From the start, Jacob Kiplimo set a blistering pace. He reached the 5 km mark in 13:28, the 10 km mark in 27:00, and the 15 km mark in 40:52, consistently ahead of the competition. Kenyan runners Nicholas Kipkorir and Gilbert Kiprotich tried to stay with him, but Kiplimo’s strength proved decisive.

After 15 km, sensing a slight slowing in pace, he increased his effort, covering the next 5 km in about 13:31. This push helped him build a gap between himself and the chasing pack. And finally, Kiplimo crossed the finish line alone, 48 seconds ahead of Kipkorir.

“I’m so happy to break the world record,” Jacob Kiplimo told World Athletics after the race. “After the first 10 km, I thought the world record was possible. I tried to keep pushing the pace in the final two kilometers.”

And this performance was in every way fit to be ratified: the course was duly measured, the rules of pacing were adhered to, the timing system checked, and the anti-doping measures fulfilled. With it, Kiplimo had proven beyond doubt that he belongs at the top, and now the record is officially his.

Behind him, Kipkorir completed in 58:08, Kiprotich in 58:59, and a Kenyan, Benard Langat, in 59:31. These were good performances, but none could keep pace with Kiplimo.

However, Jacob Kiplimo’s win was extra special on the Lisbon course. After all, he had previously set the world record there in 2021 with 57:31. Yes, that record stood until it was broken before he returned in 2026 to reclaim the global standard. And in that sense, he cleared up any remaining suspicions of the Barcelona scandal, where his faster performance had been disqualified. But why?

Jacob Kiplimo broke records, yet World Athletics ruled against him

In February 2025, the running world watched in awe as Ugandan star Jacob Kiplimo ran one of the strongest performances in road‑running history at the eDreams Mitja Marato Barcelona. He finished the half-marathon in 56 minutes 42 seconds, a time that was faster than anything ever recorded in the event.

It seemed at that point that Jacob Kiplimo had rewritten history by becoming the first man to run under 57 minutes at the distance and shaving off the last official record by almost a minute. However, almost one year later, this victory became one of the most discussed disappointments in the sport. World Athletics declared that the Barcelona performance was ineligible to be recognized as a world record. The reason?

The race conditions didn’t meet the strict rules required for record approval. But what was wrong?

The first reason was that the lead vehicle in the Barcelona race ran very close to Jacob Kiplimo, reportedly around 10 to 15 meters ahead of him for much of the distance. That gap was judged close enough to give a slipstream advantage, reducing air resistance for Kiplimo as he chased the record pace. World Athletics decided that this type of car support on a pacing car contravened its technical provisions.

In the competition rules prescribed by the World Athletics in Article 6.3, an athlete is not allowed to be assisted by non-competitors or other technical devices, and the lead car was in effect a moving windbreaker. The governing body ruled that the advantage was substantial enough to void the claim of a formal world record.

Thus, the official world record reverted to the 57:30 set by Yomif Kejelcha in Valencia in 2024. But to Jacob Kiplimo himself, it was a muted emotional impact. At the time, he said, “I’d rather not say anything until I read the full report,” he stated. “But don’t forget: the time may not be an official world record, but it’s still at the top of the list.”

His maturity was reflected in that restrained reaction. He never sat around and mourned the disappointment, but then took up that as a challenge to Lisbon 2026, where he eventually proved, without question, that he belonged at the top of the sport.