Uganda’s long-distance runner Jacob Kiplimo is set to return to Spain to defend his Barcelona Half Marathon title in 2026.
Uganda Athletics president Dominic Otuchet confirmed that Kiplimo will headline the race alongside fellow Ugandan Ezekiel Mutai when the event takes place on February 15.
Kiplimo heads to Barcelona in red-hot form after winning a third straight men’s senior gold medal at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships earlier this month in Florida. The 23-year-old is now targeting another standout performance on a course where he has already made history.
In 2025, Kiplimo shattered the men’s half marathon world record in Barcelona, clocking 56 minutes and 42 seconds. The women’s half marathon world record is held by Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey, who ran 1:02:52 at the Valencia Half Marathon in 2021.
Beyond the half marathon, Kiplimo has continued to cement his status among the world’s elite distance runners. He won the Chicago Marathon last year and remains Uganda’s youngest-ever Olympian, having competed at the Rio 2016 Games aged just 15. He also captured the under-20 title at the World Cross Country Championships in 2017.
