Ugandan cross-country world champion Jacob Kiplimo made a triumphant return to racing at the NN Zevenheuvelenloop in Nijmegen on Sunday, equaling the world best in the 15km with 41:05. After being sidelined through injury, Kiplimo won the Cross Country Tour Gold meeting in Attapuerca and continued his success in Nijmegen, matching the world best time set by his compatriot Joshua Cheptegei five years ago.
Throughout the race, Kiplimo ran at a conservative pace, taking into account the challenging climb from 3.5km to 5km. Despite starting slower than Cheptegei’s breakaway, Kiplimo took the lead and extended it to 24 seconds at 8km before crossing the 10km checkpoint in 27:49, matching Cheptegei’s time for that leg. Kiplimo oscillated a bit above and below the course record pace but eventually finished with a 2:31 last kilometer, securing a time of 41:05. His compatriot Rogers Kibet stayed in second place, making it 1-2 for Uganda.
In addition to his success on the NN Zevenheuvelenloop, Kiplimo recorded a stunning 15km leg of just over half an hour during his World Record Half Marathon in Lisbon last year (40:27). On Sunday’s women’s side of the race was dominated by Kenya’s Beatrice Chepkoech who crossed