Jacob Kiplimo Falls Short at Copenhagen Half Marathon

Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo, the reigning world record-holder, fell just short of victory at the Copenhagen Half Marathon on Sunday, finishing second as Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe claimed the top spot.

Despite high expectations and pre-race speculation about a lowering his record-breaking time, Kiplimo’s bid for victory was marred by a critical misstep on the home straight.

The world record-holder veered left of the barrier before switching back to the right, which disrupted his final sprint.

And Sawe, the World Champion in Riga, took full advantage of this mistake, finishing with a personal best of 58:05, four seconds ahead of Kiplimo, who clocked 58:09.

Kenyan Isaia Lasoi rounded out the top three with a personal best of 58:10.

Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen, making his half marathon debut just two days after winning the Diamond League 1500m title, was also in the race.

However, Ingebrigtsen could not sustain his early pace and pulled up at 10km. Despite stopping several times, he completed the race in 1:03:13.

It’s strong to remember that Kiplimo took eighth-place finish in the Men’s 10,000m at the Paris Olympics before pulling out of the 5000m race.