Jacob Kiplimo: The Ugandan seizing the moment and challenging the elite of distance running

In this article, Deji Ogeyingbo focuses on Jacob Kiplimo, who is shaking up the world of distance running, on the road and the track, and reminding people that some incredible runners are coming out of Uganda! 

Jacob Kiplimo: The Ugandan seizing the moment and challenging the elite of distance running

Very rarely do you find a precocious distance running athlete. And that’s not because they don’t exist, but largely because the elite and top runners stay at the top for a long period, it is almost impossible to dislodge them at a young age. Most times, it is not because of the lack of trying or because there aren’t much talented runners coming through on the grid, but getting to the top and challenging for top honors takes improbable grit and tenacity.

There have been some outliers in the last three decades. Kenenisa Bekele challenged Hicham El Guerrouj, Eliud Kipchoge challenged Bekele, and Mo Farah challenged taking the sting out of Kipchoge and Bekele on the track as they both transitioned to the road. Every now and then, there, a spring chicken shows up and upsets the applecart. 

At some point, these distance running greats had one or two moments that made them entrench their way into the heart of fans. From Bekele winning multiple cross-country titles at the Junior and senior level or an 18-year-old Kipchoge beating El Guerrouj and Bekele to the World title over the 5,000m in Paris in 2003 to Farah winning double Olympic Gold at the 2012 London Olympics, these were sliding door moments for the then youngsters who later went on to achieve great things in distance running. 

Jacob Kiplimo is the latest distance running sensation. The Ugandan started competing internationally when he was 15 years old, and by the time he clocked twenty he had represented his country at the Olympics, world championships, and the Commonwealth Games. However, it wasn’t until 2021 that he broke the half marathon record when he ran 57.31 in Lisbon. 

During the time frame in which Kiplimo was grinding it out and looking for that breakthrough performance, the 21-year-Old played second fiddle to his countryman, Joshua Cheptegei who broke the men’s 5k road 5000m, and 10,000m world record. And as expected, he took the limelight.

Before the 2021 season, Kiplimo made sure he got into the conversation. In what was a…