Jacob Kiplimo Eyes Chicago Marathon Defense as Olympic Gold Remains His Biggest Dream

Jacob Kiplimo has already established himself among the world’s elite distance runners, but the Ugandan star believes his biggest achievements are still ahead of him.

As he prepares to return to the Chicago Marathon this weekend, Kiplimo is targeting another victory while keeping an even bigger prize in mind: Olympic gold.

“My target is to get a gold medal in the Olympics,” he told The Athletic.

The 25-year-old has made a remarkable transition from the track to the marathon. Already the third-fastest man in history over 26.2 miles, Kiplimo has quickly developed into one of the most exciting figures in long-distance running.

The Athletic reported that his decision to focus more heavily on the marathon followed the 10,000m final at the Paris Olympics, where 12 athletes broke the 27-minute barrier. Kiplimo finished seventh in 26:46.39.

“For three years, I was running well on the track,” Kiplimo recalled. “We decided, with my management, that we were trying to get the medal in the 2024 Olympics. But we didn’t manage it because everyone was strong. I decided to put my mind to it, to concentrate on the marathon.”

Kiplimo’s marathon career received a major boost when he won the Chicago Marathon last year in just his second race over the distance.

His winning time of 2:02:23 was then a Ugandan record, and he finished more than a minute ahead of Kenyan duo Amos Kipruto and Alex Masai.

“It was something amazing because even I didn’t expect to win the race,” he says as he aims to become the first man to win back-to-back titles there since Samuel Wanjiru in 2009 and 2010.

“Because you saw the field that was there, it was strong. Always I tell my mind that I can’t give up until the finish line. So when I reached around 30km, I was concentrating, not to win, just to improve my personal best, that’s why I pushed the last 5km.”

Kiplimo also finished third at this year's London Marathon in 2:00:28, breaking the previous world record for the fastest third-place finish.

Despite missing out on the historic sub-two-hour mark achieved by Sabastian Sawe and Yomif Kejelcha, Kiplimo remained proud of his performance.

“When I look back, I feel like I am a marathoner, because when those guys broke the world record I was happy to be part of the team. I was able to improve, to run my personal best, to break the previous record.”

Now, his attention is back on Chicago, where he hopes to defend his title and continue building toward his ultimate ambition.

Kiplimo has been training extensively in Kapchorwa, Uganda, including a peak week of around 140 miles in preparation for Chicago.

“The marathon, it’s not a joke,” he responds immediately and with certainty. “You need hard work, determination and discipline. You can’t wake up (one) morning and say ‘I’m going to run a marathon.’”

His long-term target remains Olympic glory, inspired in part by compatriot Stephen Kiprotich, who won marathon gold at the 2012 London Olympics.

For now, however, Kiplimo has one immediate challenge: becoming the first man since Wanjiru to successfully defend the Chicago Marathon crown.

And with the 25-year-old convinced that his best is still to come, another major statement could be on the way.