Ugandas Jacob Kiplimo set a men's half-marathon word record on Sunday and also became the first runner to go under 57 minutes.
Ugandan Kiplimo sets men's half-marathon world record in under 57 minutes
Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo celebrates his world record of 7 minutes and 26.64 seconds after winning the men's 3000m competition at the Golden Gala Pietro Mennea IAAF
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The 24-year-old Kiplimo set a time of 56 minutes, 41 seconds at a road race in Barcelona, smashing the previous record of 57:30 by Ethiopian distance runner Yomif Kejelcha last year in the Spanish city of Valencia.
"I'm so grateful. I'm very excited about what I did today. I didn't expect to break the record because I just came here... All I do is (try) to run a good race, but I am happy I have broken the world record," said Jacob Kiplimo.
World Athletics said it was the greatest single improvement on the men’s half-marathon record, and that Kiplimo benefited from ideal weather conditions of 13 degrees Celsius with no wind.
Kiplimo won a bronze medal in 10,000 metres at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.