By Godfrey Olukya
KAMPALA, Uganda (AA) – Ugandan athlete Jacob Kiplimo bagged a gold medal at the 2020 World Half Marathon in Poland on Saturday.
The 19-year-old long distance runner finished the race in 58 minutes and 49 seconds in men's category. It is Uganda’s first ever gold medal at the event. Apart from scoring his best, Kiplimo has also set a national record.
Kiplimo recently won the 5000m race at the World Athletics Continental Tour in Ostrava, the Czech Republic, and the 3000m race at the Diamond League in Rome.
In today's race Kiplimo was competing with another Ugandan, Joshua Cheptegei, who ten days ago broke the 10,000m world record in Valencia, Spain.
Uganda's President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni sent a congratulatory message to Kiplimo, saying he has made the country proud.
Among his other achievements, he clinched gold at the 2017 World Cross Country Championships in the junior men’s category. In 2018, he came fourth in the 10,000m race at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia.
