World Athletics’ decision to reject Jacob Kiplimo’s half-marathon world record has sparked debate, with questions raised over whether the ruling was fair.
Piergiuseppe Picotti, an athlete representative with Federico Rosa, has shared his disappointment following the verdict on Jacob Kiplimo’s world record in the half-marathon.
Competing at the 2025 Barcelona Half Marathon, Jacob Kiplimo obliterated Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha’s world record time of 57:30 at the 2024 Valencia Half Marathon
The Ugandan appeared to make history at last year’s Barcelona Half-Marathon, clocking an astonishing time of 56:42. This performance would have made him the first athlete ever to break the 57-minute barrier, shattering the previous record by 48 seconds. However, the governing body has refused to ratify the time.
World Athletics Declines Jacob Kiplimo’s World Record
The decision stems from a violation of World Athletics’ technical rules. According to Article 6.3.1, athletes are prohibited from receiving pacing assistance from any non-competitor or technical device.
Broadcast footage from the race showed Jacob Kiplimo consistently running just 10 to 15 meters behind the lead vehicle, which officials deemed illegal assistance.
Reports also suggest that Jacob Kiplimo may have breached a separate regulation that forbids athletes from receiving coaching advice during a race.
While World Athletics’ rules do not explicitly state a minimum distance between athletes and pace cars, the proximity in this case was ruled to have provided an unfair advantage.
)
Piergiuseppe Picotti Shares His Honest Opinion
Piergiuseppe Picotti shared a post on his Facebook page, saying he was deeply disappointed by World Athletics’ decision not to ratify Jacob Kiplimo’s half-marathon world record.
He argued that anyone experienced in athletics would understand that the presence of a vehicle near an athlete during a race could not realistically account for such a massive improvement in performance.
Picotti added that, in his view, basic reasoning made the decision difficult to justify. He also said that Jacob Kiplimo’s reaction sent a clear message to the athletics world that he remains focused on his goals, regardless of debates around courses or technicalities, and that nothing would alter his ambition.
)
Picotti expressed confidence that Kiplimo would continue pushing boundaries and was ready to make further history in road racing.
“THE COMMON SENSE … I rarely post or comment on what happens in athletics, but this time I would like to point out my personal disappointment with the decision by World Athletics not to rectify the half-marathon world record,” he said.
“Those who do this job know all too well that a car (objectively sometimes too close to the athlete during the race) could not have helped to improve the record by almost 50′ … Common sense says this.
“Jacob’s photo clearly tells the whole athletics world goodbye, and that whatever happens between courses at TAS etc. will not change anything of his plans and he will be ready to rewrite the history of road racing as it has already been widely done. Way to go Jacob!!!”
Jacob Kiplimo now shifts focus to the London Marathon, where he will be hunting for a victory after finishing second in the 2025 edition of the race.
