Over the past few months, Jacob Kiplimo, the renowned Ugandan and global athletics sensation, has been focused on resetting and regaining the peak fitness that has consistently propelled him to the highest levels of international running. Unfortunately, the 23-year-old had to miss both the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, in August and the World Road Running Championships in Riga, Latvia, in October due to an injury.

Behind the scenes, Kiplimo diligently worked on repairing both his body and mind to restore them to full fitness. How was the progress on this path to recovery for the reigning world cross-country champion? He sought to gauge his advancement in this journey.

In late October, he participated in the Cross Country Tour Gold event held in Atapuerca, Spain, where the accomplished Ugandan runner emerged victorious in the elite men's race, clocking a time of 26:00.

Precisely three weeks thereafter, Kiplimo returned to the racing scene, this time competing in a 15km race at the NN Zevenheuvelenloop in the Dutch city of Nijmegen.

Once more, he outpaced the entire competition, matching the world record set by his compatriot Joshua Cheptegei with a time of 41:05 minutes last Sunday.

For many onlookers, this served as another unmistakable indication that Kiplimo has made a successful comeback following a season-ending marred by injuries in 2023.

And Kiplimo himself believes he is making a strong recovery.

"I believe the injury God allowed to hit me a couple of months ago was to prepare me for better," said the double Commonwealth Games champion shortly after his 15km triumph.

“I am trying to reset, recondition and resharpen my body in the best way possible and I must say that the comeback plan is going on well so far.

“My focus is getting to my fittest level possible, physically and mentally, ahead of the 2024 season, which includes the Paris Olympics Games in France."

Cheptegei, a champion and holder of multiple world records, was excited to witness his fellow national teammate make a comeback from injury and match his 15km record, which has stood unbroken since 2018.

“He (Kiplimo) has shown that humans are unstoppable once they are determined to achieve any form of goals,” he said. "Records are set to be broken or marched, so it is satisfying to see someone come close or go ahead to better it.”

In the race on Sunday, the top three positions were secured by East African runners, with Ugandan Rogers Kibet (42:44) claiming second place just ahead of Kenyan Amos Serem (43:07).

The injury that prevented Kiplimo from participating in the World Championships occurred during the national training sessions at Trinity Biblical Institute in the eastern district of Kapchorwa, Uganda.

A torn hamstring significantly diminished his prospects of participating in the worldwide competition.

Peter Chelangat, the coach based in his home country, expressed deep admiration and praise for their protege's remarkable recovery from injury.

"To come back from such a serious injury and perform at this level is truly incredible. It is testament to his work ethic and the unwavering support of his Rosa Associati International Management Agency teammates and sponsors." he said "This is testament to Jacob’s dedication and resilience."

In his recovery process, Kiplimo mentioned that he had to engage in weeks of challenging rehabilitation, experiencing emotional highs and lows, along with putting in hours of intense effort.