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The 22-year-old, who has won four of the last five half marathons he has participated in and is also the reigning World Half Marathon champion insists that ‘everyone will need to be at their best to beat him’.
Jacob Kiplimo believes he is ready to conquer ‘the hard to beat’ course and make history by becoming the first Ugandan to win the United Airlines New York Half Marathon.
Kiplimo started the year perfectly after with gold from the senior men’s 10km race during the World Cross-country Championships in Bathurst, Australia a fortnight ago.
The 22-year-old, who has won four of the last five half marathons he has participated in and is also the reigning World Half Marathon champion insists that ‘everyone will need to be at their best to beat him’.
I will try hard to become the first champion from Uganda,” stated Kiplimo, who will be making his debut in New York.
“My gold medal from the World Cross Country Championships last weekend shows that everybody will need to be at their best to beat me.”
“I have been told that the NYC Half course is difficult, and a record may not be possible, so I will focus on being the first across the finish line in Central Park,” he added.
The 2023 New York Half Marathon has attracted an impressive line-up of professional athletes from 17 different countries.
This year’s race boasts 19 Olympians, 11 Paralympians, and seven past event champions, making it one of the most diverse and competitive fields in the race's history.
Kiplimo who also holds the half-marathon world record will be locked in an eagerly awaited showdown with senior compatriot Joshua Cheptegei – the world record holder over 5,000 and 10,000 meters – and Kiplimo –holder.
This will be only the second time that they face off in the half marathon after their meeting in Gdynia, Poland three years ago.
The race in Poland remains Cheptegei’s only attempt at the 21-kilometre distance and went on to finish fourth running sub-60 with a time of 59:21, with the race coming just 10 days after breaking Kenenisa Bekele’s 10,000m world record in Valencia.
Two-time U.S. Olympic medalist Galen Rupp and last year's runner-up Edward Cheserek of Kenya as well as past event champions Ben True of the United States and Belay Tilahun of Ethiopia have confirmed participation in the race.
In the women’s open division, two-time Olympian Molly Huddle will race for the first time since giving birth to her daughter, while Ethiopia’s Senbere Teferi will defend her title after setting a new event record in 2022.
This year's race will take runners on a tour of New York City, passing through historic landmarks and diverse neighbourhoods with sweeping views of the city along the way. The course ends in Central Park, where over 25,000 runners will finish the race.
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