Kiplimo completes historic treble, shifts focus to marathon

Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo, the reigning Chicago Marathon champion, hailed his consistency in training and self-belief after winning his third consecutive men’s crown at the world cross-country championships on Jan 10.

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The 25-year-old completed the hat-trick over 10km in a winning time of 28min 18sec at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Florida.

Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi was 18 seconds back in a third consecutive runner-up finish, with Kenya’s Daniel Ebenyo third in 28:45.

Kiplimo became only the fourth man to win three world cross-country titles in a row, after Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele (2002-2006) and Kenyans Paul Tergat (1995-1999) and John Ngugi (1986-1989).

“To win three times, I’m so happy about it,” Kiplimo said. “I think it’s about the consistency in your training. Another thing, it’s about believing in yourself.”

Kiplimo finished second at the 2025 London Marathon in 2hr 3min 37sec in his debut in the 42.195km event, then captured the Chicago Marathon in 2:02:23 last October, a quick turnaround that added to the challenge of defending his title.

“Today was the hardest one,” Kiplimo said.