Ugandan cross-country champion Jacob Kiplimo made a triumphant return to racing at the NN Zevenheuvelenloop in Nijmegen on Sunday, matching the world 15km best at 41:05. After being sidelined with an injury, Kiplimo won the Cross Country Tour Gold meeting in Atapuerca and continued his success in Nijmegen, equaling the world best time set by his fellow countryman, Joshua Cheptegei, five years ago.

Throughout the race, Kiplimo ran at a conservative pace, taking into account the challenging 3.5km to 5km incline. Despite starting slower than Cheptegei’s split, Kiplimo took the lead and extended it to 24-seconds at 8km before crossing the 10km checkpoint at 27:49, matching Cheptegei’s split time. Kiplimo fluctuated slightly above and below the course record pace but ultimately finished with a 2:31 final kilometer, securing the 41:05 time. His compatriot, Rogers Kibet, held on to second place, making it a 1-2 finish for Uganda.

Kiplimo also notched a personal best of 40:27 during his half marathon world record in Lisbon in 2021. In addition to his success at NN Zevenheuvelenloop, he has been consistently breaking world records and setting new ones throughout his career.

On the women’s side of things, Beatrice Chepkoech crossed the finish line in first place with a time of 47:12 seconds. She was followed closely by Lonah Salpeter from Israel who finished second with a time of 47:55 seconds. Stella Chesang from Kenya came in third place with a time of