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Ugandan teenager Jacob Kiplimo has won the 2020 IAAF World Half Marathon Championship in Gdynia, Poland while pre-race favorite and fellow countryman Joshua Cheptegei has finished fourth.
The 19-year-old has in the event won Uganda’s first-ever medal on his debut at the event, clocking a championship record time of 58:49.
It was Kiplimo’s second major championship medal after taking the 2017 World Junior Cross Country title on home soil in Kampala.
The youngest competitor in the 5000m at Rio 2016, took no chances on Saturday, making sure he takes a comfortable lead to make history and he says he is happy with how he performed.
“I feel very happy. I feel great, it was my first time at the World Half Marathon Championships and I won!”
Kiplimo won his first half-marathon event last year in Kampala.
Like his training partner Cheptegei, Kiplimo has had a stellar season running a world lead of 7:26.64 in the 3000m at the Rome Diamond League, and winning the 5000m in Ostrava in 12:48.63 in September.
Chepetegei missed out on the medals, finishing fourth with a time of 59:21 just 10 days after breaking the 10,000m world record in Valencia.
The reigning world cross-country and 10,000m champion says,
“My body was really going very well but I discovered I still had some fatigue in the legs. I couldn’t give more than that.
Men’s leading results
| Athlete | Country | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1.Jacob Kiplimo | Uganda | 58:49 CR |
| 2.Kibiwott Kandie | Kenya | 58:54 |
| 3.Amedework Walelegn | Ethiopia | 59:08 PB |
| 4.Joshua Cheptegei | Uganda | 59:21 PB |
| 5.Andamlak Belihu | Ethiopia | 59:32 SB |
| 6.Leonard Barsoton | Kenya | 59:34 SB |
| 7.Stephen Mokoka | South Africa | 59:36 NR |
| 8.Morhad Amdouni | France | 59:40 NR |
| 9.Benard Kimeli | Kenya | 59:42 SB |
| 10.Leul Gebresilase | Ethiopia | 59:45 SB |
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