Kiplimo bosses emotional Great North Run
Jacob Kiplimo dominated and won the Great-North-Run in Newcastle . PHOTO/COURTESY
What you need to know:
Parts of the race were called off to mourn the death of Queen Elizabeth II and before the start of the elite men’s 21km race, there was a minute of silence to honour Great Britain’s longest-serving monarch.
In the years to come, it may require performances of remarkable proportions to stop Jacob Kiplimo when he chooses to focus on the road.
The Uganda long-distance runner still has attention on track but he has already put up an impeccable road running career.
At 21, Kiplimo holds the world half-marathon title and record too. And yesterday, he stretched his incredible streak over the 21km further by winning the Great North Run on an emotional Sunday in South Shields.
Parts of the race were called off to mourn the death of Queen Elizabeth II and before the start of the elite men’s 21km race, there was a minute of silence to honour Great Britain’s longest-serving monarch.
Clad in orange and blue bib, Kiplimo was off to his fifth 21km victory out of six career races. He was up against Ethiopians Selemon Barega and Kenenisa Bekele.
However, the youngster held on to become the first Ugandan to win this prestigious event, becoming the 12th different nationality to delight at this Run.
Defending champion Marc Scott led the field in the early stages but Kiplimo’s surge of pace disintegrated the front pack early, only Bekele and Barega following him.
Down to three after five miles, Barega, who had competed to finish over the 5000m final at the Zurich Diamond League in Switzerland on Wednesday night, led briefly but Kiplimo reclaimed his lead.
Kiplimo crossed the 10km mark in 28:54 minutes while Olympic 10000m champion Barega and world second fastest marathoner Bekele were a second behind.
Over the next 5km, Kiplimo pulled away and ran solo, urging the crowd to cheer him on in between guards as he reached the blue tape.
It marks a sweet end to his 2022 season from which he won a 10000m bronze at the Oregon World Championships in the USA and the Commonwealth double in Birmingham, England.
GREAT NORTH RUN
MEN’S 21KM RESULT
1 Jacob Kiplimo (UGA) 59:33
2 Selemon Barega (ETH) 60:39
3 Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) 61:01
KIPLIMO AT A GLANCE
Date of birth: November 14, 2000
Major events: 5000m, 10000m
Coach: Iacorpo Brasi
Personal Bests: 7:26.64 (3000m), 12:48.63 (5000m), 26:33.93 (10000m)
Manager: Federico Rosa
Management: Rosa Associati
KIPLIMO IN 2022
Jun 30: Bauhaus Gala, 5000m (2nd, 7:29.55)
Aug 6: XXII Commonwealth Games, 5000m (1st, 13:08.08)
Jul 17: Oregon Worlds, 10000m (3rd, 27:27.97)
Aug 2: XXII Commonwealth Games, 10000m (1st, 27:09.19)
Feb 19: Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon (1st, 57:56)
Sept 11, 2022: Great North Run (1st, 59:33)
KIPLIMO’S 21KM CAREER
Sept 11, 2022: Great North Run (1st, 59:33)
Feb 19, 2022: Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon (1st, 57:56)
Nov 21, 2021: Lisbon Half-Marathon (1st, 57:31)
Dec 6, 2020: Valencia Half-Marathon (2nd, 57:37)
Oct 17, 2020: World Half-Marathon (1st, 58: 49)
Nov 24, 2019: Kampala Half Marathon (1st, 61:53)
