Jacob Kiplimo (born 14 November 2000) is a

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires endurance, stamina as well as mental strength. Within e ...

. He is 2020 Tokyo Olympic

10,000 metres The 10,000 metres or the 10,000-metre run is a common long-distance track running event. The event is part of the athletics programme at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships, and is common at championship level events. The race ...

bronze medallist and also won bronze in the event at the

2022 World Athletics Championships The 2022 World Athletics Championships was the eighteenth edition of the World Athletics Championships. It was held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, United States, from July 15–24, 2022, with the country hosting that competition for the f ...

. Kiplimo earned gold medals in the

5000 metres The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to or . It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over laps of a stan ...

and 10,000 m at the

2022 Commonwealth Games The 2022 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Birmingham 2022, was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth of Nations that took place in Birmingham, England bet ...

. He is the 2020 World Half Marathon champion. On 21 November 2021, Kiplimo set a

half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish or shortcu ...

world record at 57:31 in

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

. At age 15, Kiplimo represented his country at the

2016 Rio Olympics ) , nations = 207 (including IOA and EOR teams) , athletes = 11,238 , events = 306 in 28 sports (41 disciplines) , opening = 5 August 2016 , closing = 21 August 2016 , opened_by = Vice President Michel Temer , cauldron = Vanderlei Cordeiro de ...

. He was the 2017 IAAF World Cross Country Championship junior champion. In 2019, he became the World Cross Country Championship silver medallist at the age of 18.

Early life

A member of the Sebei ethnic group, Jacob Kiplimo grew up in Bukwo on

Mount Elgon Mount Elgon is an extinct shield volcano on the border of Uganda and Kenya, north of Kisumu and west of Kitale. The mountain's highest point, named "Wagagai", is located entirely within Uganda.

, living at high altitude.Atwiine, Simon Peter (2016-07-21)
15-year old Jacob Kiplimo could cause a surprise at Rio 2016 Olympics
''Uganda Eagle''. Retrieved on 2016-08-21.

Career

2015–2018

At the age of fifteen, Kiplimo won the

bronze medal at the

2016 IAAF World U20 Championships The 2016 World U20 Championships in Athletics was an international athletics competition for athletes qualifying as juniors (born no earlier than 1 January 1997) which was held at Zdzisław Krzyszkowiak Stadium in Bydgoszcz, Poland on 19–24 Ju ...

behind fellow East Africans

Rodgers Kwemoi Rodgers Kwemoi Chumo (born 3 March 1997) is a Kenyan long-distance runner specialising in the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres. He is the 2018 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist at the longer distance. Born in Kenya's Mount Elgon District, he mad ...

and

Aron Kifle Aron Kifle Teklu (born 20 February 1998) is an Eritrean long-distance runner. He is the bronze medallist from the 2018 World Half Marathon Championships in Valencia. Aron is also the silver medallist in the 10000m from both the 2016 World U20 ...

. Of as much importance as that placing was his time of 13:24:40 minutes for the

in Rome that May. That was enough to reach the Olympic standard and gain selection for Uganda at the 2016 Summer Olympics. As a result, he became the youngest ever Olympian for Uganda. Prior to the

, he improved his 5000 m best further to 13:19.54 minutes. The youngest entrant to the competition he ran in the Olympic heats only, recording a time of 13:30.40 minutes for 11th in his race. He was the youngest ever competitor for Uganda at the Olympic Games, with the age of 15. At age 16, Kiplimo produced a performance of a lifetime to win gold in the men's U20 race at the

2017 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 2017 IAAF World Cross Country Championships was hosted in the city of Kampala, Uganda's capital. This 42nd edition was held on 26 March 2017. The venue was Kampala Airport, commonly known as Kololo airstrip, or officially, the Kololo Ceremoni ...

Kampala Kampala (, ) is the capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,680,000 and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division, and Ruba ...

, the country's first ever gold medal at a World Cross, covering the 8 km course in 22:40 minutes. He won the San Silvestre 10k in a time of 26:41 on 31 December 2018. As the course has an elevation drop, it didn't count for record purposes. His win set a new course record, formerly set by

Eliud Kipchoge Eliud Kipchoge ( ; born 5 November 1984) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in the marathon and formerly specialized at the 5000 metre distance. Widely regarded as the greatest marathon runner of all time, he is the 2016 and 2020 ...

in 2006 with 26:54.

2019

At the Ugandan Cross Country Championships on 16 February in

Tororo Tororo is a town in the Eastern Region of Uganda. It is the main municipal, administrative, and commercial center of Tororo District. History Tororo was garrisoned by the Uganda Army's Air and Sea Battalion during the Uganda–Tanzania War ( ...

, Kiplimo defeated

Joshua Cheptegei Joshua Kiprui Cheptegei (born 12 September 1996) is a Ugandan long-distance runner. He is the reigning Olympic champion in the 5000 metres and silver medalist for the 10,000 metres, a two-time 10,000 m World champion from 2019 and 2022, W ...

by both placing first and second respectively. In the men's senior race over 10 km, Kiplimo won by an 11-second lead over the 10,000 m world championship runner up. At the

2019 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 2019 IAAF World Cross Country Championships were hosted in the city of Aarhus in Denmark. It was the 43rd edition of the championships and was held on 30 March 2019. A part of the course was run on the grounds and grass roof of the Moesgaard ...

Aarhus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and approximately northwest ...

, Denmark, Kiplimo finished second in the senior men's race four seconds after

's winning time of 31:40. He won the gold medal in the teams ranking with Cheptegei from Uganda. Kiplimo did not run in the 10,000 metres at the

2019 World Athletics Championships The 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships () was the seventeenth edition of the biennial, global athletics competition organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), since renamed World Athletics. It was held betw ...

in Doha, because of an injury. On 31 December, Kiplimo ran the

Saint Silvester Road Race The Saint Silvester Road Race ( pt, Corrida Internacional de São Silvestre) is a long-distance running event, the oldest and most prestigious street race in Brazil. Regarded as the main international event in Latin American athletics, the Brazi ...

and was beaten by

Kibiwott Kandie Kibiwott Kandie (born 20 June 1996) is a Kenyan long-distance runner. In December 2020, he won the Valencia Half Marathon finishing in a new world record time of 57:32, chopping off the previous world record by almost 30 seconds. Kandie won the s ...

on the finish line. Kandie won in 42:59 a new course record with Kiplimo finishing in 43:00.

2020

On 8 September, Kiplimo won the 5000 m run in

Ostrava Ostrava (; pl, Ostrawa; german: Ostrau ) is a city in the north-east of the Czech Republic, and the capital of the Moravian-Silesian Region. It has about 280,000 inhabitants. It lies from the border with Poland, at the confluences of four rive ...

, Czech Republic in a time of 12:48.63 and improved his personal best of 13:13.64 set as a 16-year-old at the 2017 Prefontaine Classic.

Selemon Barega Selemon Barega Shirtaga (born 20 January 2000) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. He won the gold medal in the 10,000 metres at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and a silver for the 5000 metres at the 2019 World Championships in Doha. Barega is a tw ...

was the runner up with a time 12:49.08, his personal best of 12:43.02 was the fifth fastest ever. On 17 September, Kiplimo won a

Diamond League The Diamond League is an annual series of elite track and field athletic competitions comprising fourteen of the best invitational athletics meetings. The series sits in the top tier of the World Athletics (formerly known as the IAAF) one-day mee ...

3000 m run in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

in a time of 7:26.64, the fastest 3000 m since Kenenisa's 7:25.70 in August 2007. Kiplimo's time was the eighth fastest time ever and second placed

Jakob Ingebrigtsen Jakob Ingebrigtsen (born 19 September 2000) is a Norwegian middle- and long-distance runner. He won the gold medal in the 1500 metres at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, setting an Olympic and European record. At the 2022 World Athletics Championshi ...

time of 7:27.05 became the ninth. He won the Half Marathon World Championship in a time of 58:49 on 17 October. The event took place in

Gdynia Gdynia ( ; ; german: Gdingen (currently), (1939–1945); csb, Gdiniô, , , ) is a city in northern Poland and a seaport on the Baltic Sea coast. With a population of 243,918, it is the List of cities in Poland, 12th-largest city in Poland and ...

, Poland and was a Ugandan record and championship record. On 6 December, Kiplimo competed in the

Valencia Half Marathon The Valencia Half Marathon ( es, Medio Maratón de Valencia) is an annual half marathon road running event held in Valencia, Spain, since 1988. It is categorized as a Gold Label Road Race by World Athletics. The race is organised by the Valenc ...

. He would be competing against the world silver medalist in the World Half Marathon Championships,

. Kiplimo would also be competing against

Rhonex Kipruto Rhonex Kipruto (born 12 October 1999) is a Kenyan long-distance runner. He is the 2018 10,000 metres world U20 champion and the 2019 10,000 metres world championships bronze medalist. His 10 km road race personal best of 26:24, set Januar ...

of Kenya, who was making his half marathon debut, and held the world record in the 10K on the road. With just around one kilometer remaining, Kandie made a strong move for the victory, and Kiplimo could not keep up with Kandie's surge. At the end of it all, Kandie, Kiplimo, Kipruto, and also Alexander Mutiso of Kenya, all broke the previous world record of 58:01, set by

Geoffrey Kamworor Geoffrey Kipsang Kamworor (born 22 November 1992) is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner who competes in cross country, marathon, and half marathon races. He was the 2011 World Junior Cross Country Champion. Kamworor won the IAAF Worl ...

of Kenya back in September 2019 in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

. Kandie finished in a world record time of 57:32, with Kiplimo finishing just behind in 57:37. Kipruto also set a debut world record with a time of 57:49, with Mutiso finishing in 57:59. His time of 57:37 was a national record for Uganda.

2021–present

On 21 March 2021, Kiplimo competed at the Campaccio-International Cross Country race in

San Giorgio su Legnano San Giorgio su Legnano (Legnanese: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Milan in the Italian region Lombardy, located about northwest of Milan. San Giorgio su Legnano borders the following municipalities: Legnano, Villa Co ...

, Italy. Despite falling during the ninth kilometer of the race he won the 10 km in 29:07. Ethiopia's Nebret Melak finished second, and Kiplimo's younger brother Oscar Chelimo finished third. On 19 May, Kiplimo returned to the track racing 10,000 m at the 60th

Ostrava Golden Spike Golden Spike ( cz, Zlatá tretra) is an annual athletics event at the Městský Stadion in Ostrava- Vítkovice, Czech Republic as part of the IAAF World Challenge Meetings. It was first organized in 1961. The history of the meeting was interru ...

. He pulled away from Bahrain's

Birhanu Balew Birhanu Balew (born 27 February 1996) is an Ethiopian-born long-distance runner representing Bahrain. He reached the final of the Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Men's 5000 metres, 5000 m event at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Athletics c ...

to win the race. Kiplimo finished in a personal best time of 26:33.93, which made him the seventh fastest 10,000 m performer of all time, and the second fastest Ugandan in history over the distance behind world record holder

's 26:11.00. On 21 November 2021, Kiplimo set the half marathon world record at 57:31 in Lisbon.

Personal bests

1500 metres The 1500 metres or 1,500-metre run (typically pronounced 'fifteen-hundred metres') is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athletic ...

: 3:50.24 min (2016) *

3000 metres The 3000 metres or 3000-metre run is a track running event, also commonly known as the "3K" or "3K run", where 7.5 laps are run around an outdoor 400 m track, or 15 laps around a 200 m indoor track. It is debated whether the 3000m shoul ...

: 7:26.64 min (2020) NR *

: 12:48.63 min (2020) *

: 26:33.93 min (2021) *

Half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish or shortcu ...

: 57:31 (2021)

World record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organization ...

10K run 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1 ...

: 27:31 min (2019) *

: 26:41 min (31 December 2018) (fastest ever run at the time, but it was not officially ratified as a world record due to the downhill nature of the course). All information from IAAF Profile.

International competitions

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kiplimo, Jacob 2000 births Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2018 Commonwealth Games Living people Olympic athletes of Uganda People from Bukwo District Ugandan male long-distance runners World Athletics Championships athletes for Uganda Commonwealth Games competitors for Uganda Olympic bronze medalists for Uganda Athletes (track and field) at the 2020 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists in athletics (track and field) 21st-century Ugandan people Athletes (track and field) at the 2022 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Uganda Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics Ugandan expatriates in Italy