The new time is ten seconds faster than the previous official record of 57:30, set by Yomif Kejelcha in Valencia in 2024. Kiplimo's performance in the Portuguese capital reaffirms his status as the dominant force in the 21.1km distance.

This achievement follows a controversial episode in Barcelona in 2025. Although Kiplimo ran an even faster time of 56:42 in the Catalan city, World Athletics later invalidated the result due to technical issues with the course measurement.

While the Lisbon mark is 38 seconds slower than his unratified Barcelona run, it stands as the new official world best. Kiplimo now holds four of the six fastest half marathon times ever recorded.