Jacob Kiplimo Confident He Can Go Sub-Two Hours After Historic London Marathon

Ugandan star Jacob Kiplimo has opened up about his performance at the 2026 London Marathon on Sunday, April 26.

Competing just but in his second full marathon, Jacob Kiplimo completed the podium in 2:00:28, a time that even obliterated the late Kelvin Kiptum’s world record time of 2:00:35.

Sabastian Sawe successfully defended his title, becoming the first man to run a marathon in under two hours under normal conditions. He crossed the finish line in a time of 1:59:30, followed closely by debutant Yomif Kejelcha in 1:59:41.

Jacob Kiplimo revealed that there had been significant anticipation and discussion around the possibility of a world record being broken, but he had already believed that the field contained athletes capable of achieving such a feat.

He expressed satisfaction at having played a role in the historic performance, noting that the event marked a major milestone in his career, particularly as it also resulted in him surpassing a previous benchmark.

Jacob Kiplimo explained that the early stages of the race were extremely demanding due to a very aggressive tempo, which influenced his decision to avoid responding directly to every surge.

Instead, he opted for a more measured approach, focusing on sustaining his rhythm rather than being drawn into fluctuations in speed, a strategy he felt helped him manage the race more effectively over the full distance.

“It was a little bit too fast for me because I now knew that the guys were pushing too fast. I was a little bit slow to use my energy so that I could finish the race well,” Jacob Kiplimo told Citius Mag in an interview after the race.

“I was just thinking maybe to be on the podium, so that I'm up now, because now I have achieved being on the podium again.”

Jacob Kiplimo expressed admiration for the achievements of Sabastian Sawe and Yomif Kejelcha, noting that there is a strong sense of unity and mutual respect among elite athletes, where success is shared and celebrated rather than competed over in isolation.

He pointed out that recent performances by his competitors demonstrate how rapidly the sport is evolving, and said such breakthroughs serve as motivation for others in the field.

Kiplimo added that he believes barriers once thought impossible are now being overcome, reflecting a shift in mindset where limits in long-distance running are increasingly being redefined.

“We are always brothers. So, we always need to be happy. When someone does something, you have to congratulate them,” he revealed.

“I think everything is possible because now no human is limited. In the last three years, people were talking about maybe someone would come and break the two-hour barrier. Anything is possible. Maybe in the future, I will.”