Contrasting show for brothers Kiplimo, Kiplangat

Long-distance running half-brothers Jacob Kiplimo and Victor Kiplangat carry heavy profiles.

And understandably, they were rated number one and two respectively by the race organizers for the NN Zevenheuvelenloop race in the Netherlands at the weekend.

Kiplimo holds the global cross-country title while Kiplangat is the reigning Commonwealth and world marathon champion. However on Sunday, the pair was far apart after the Zevenheuvelenloop or Seven Hills Run in Nijmegen.

Kiplangat struggled but Kiplimo expectedly matched the favourite-tag billing and smashed his own record to retain the title and improve the world 15km best time by 23 seconds to 40 minutes and 42 seconds.

“I am so grateful to come back here again and I ran the best time,” Kiplimo said after his fourth race victory in eight races of 2024. In 2023, Kiplimo won the race in 41:05 but inside 2km, his time split of 5:26 had set him clear of the pack.

He posted 13:44 after 5km and even quicker on the next 5km at 27:15 - some two minutes ahead of the rest and Kiplimo never relented. “I was just coming here to run my race but when I saw I was running the fastest time, I tried and pushed to the best,” he added.  

“A very strong run, he shows what makes him so strong on the roads,” Kiplimo received his flowers from event manager Jurrie van der Velden, who is also Cheptegei and Kiplangat’s manager.

All the past eight editions of the Zevenheuvelenloop event have now been won by Ugandan men, beginning with Joshua Cheptegei who bagged four titles in a row from 2015.

However, Kiplangat had a day to forget after he came in 20th position, with a time of 44:41 at a pace of 2:59 min/km. Kiplangat ran the 12th kilometre, his slowest on the day, for 3:16 while his quickest was the 8th done in 2:44.

“Unfortunately, not good for Victor, I think he struggled with how the race unfolded. I hope he will take home some lessons which he can work upon moving forward to future races,” added Jurrie.

Kiplangat and Kiplimo will race again competitively next year with focus on road and track respectively ahead of the Tokyo World Athletics Championships in Japan.

Meanwhile on the World Athletics Cross-country Tour Gold, teenagers Charity Cherop and Keneth Kiprop came third and fifth in turn during the Cross Internacional de Itálica in Santiponce, near Seville, Spain.

2024 NN ZEVENHEUVELENLOOP

MEN’S 15KM RACE RESULT

1 Jacob Kiplimo (UGA)                      40:42

2 Mike Foppen (NED)                        43:19

3 Marc Scott (GBR)                           43:21

20 Victor Kiplangat (UGA)                44:41

WORLD ATHLETICS CROSS COUNTRY TOUR GOLD

CROSS INTERNACIONAL DE ITÁLICA

WOMEN

1 Beatrice Chebet (KEN)                   23:32

2 Daisy Jepkemei (KZK)                    23:59

3 Charity Cherop (UGA)                    24:35

MEN

1 Thierry Ndikumwenayo (ESP)        21:24

2 Rodrigue Kwizera (BDI)                 21:24

3 Berihu Aregawi (ETH)                    21:27

4 Yemaneberhan Crippa (ITA)           21:32

5 Kenneth Kiprop (UGA)                   21:41

NN ZEVENHEUVELENLOOP

CAST OF MALE CHAMPIONS

2024: Jacob Kiplimo (UGA)

2023: Jacob Kiplimo (UGA)

2022: Rogers Kibet (UGA)

2019: Stephen Kissa (UGA)

2018: Joshua Cheptegei (UGA)

2017: Joshua Cheptegei (UGA)

2016: Joshua Cheptegei (UGA)

2015: Joshua Cheptegei (UGA)

KIPLIMO AT A GLANCE

Date of birth: November 14, 2000

Major events: 5000m, 10000m, Half-Marathon

Coach: Iacorpo Brasi

Personal Bests: 12:40.96 (5000m), 26:33.93 (10000m), 57:31 (21km)

Manager: Federico Rosa

Management: Rosa Associati

KIPLIMO IN 2024

Jan 14, 2024: Valencia 10K Ibercaja (1st, 26:48)

Feb 10, 2024: National Cross-country (1st, 29:04)

Mar 30, 2024: World Cross-country (1st, 28:09)

May 17, 2024: LA Grand Prix, 5000m (4th, 12:52.91)

May 30, 2024: Oslo DL, 5000m (3rd, 12:40.96)

Aug 2, 2024: Paris Olympics, 10000m (8th, 26:46.39)

Sept 15, 2024: Copenhagen Half-Marathon (2nd, 58:09)

Nov 17, 2024: NN Zevenheuvelenloop (1st, 40:42)