Agnes Ngetich sets women-only half marathon world record in Copenhagen

Kenyan runner Agnes Ngetich made history at the World Road Running Championships in Copenhagen on Sunday. In the women's half marathon, she clocked 1 hour 5 minutes 15 seconds to set a new world record for a women-only race, just one second inside the previous mark.

In the 21.0975-kilometre race, Ngetich ran aggressively from the start. She covered the first 5 kilometres in 15 minutes 12 seconds, building a 10-second lead over the rest of the field. By the 10-kilometre mark, her lead had grown to 26 seconds.

Ngetich's pace did not slow after that. She completed the 15-kilometre stage in 46 minutes 17 seconds, by which point her lead had stretched to a full 53 seconds. She went on to take the gold medal with a time of 1:05:15.

The record Ngetich broke also belonged to a Kenyan, Peres Jepchirchir, who had run 1:05:16 in 2020. Ngetich's new mark was one second faster.

The overall world record for the women's half marathon still belongs to Ethiopia's Letesenbet Gidey, who ran 1:02:52 in 2021. However, Gidey's run came in a mixed-gender race, so Ngetich's 1:05:15 is being regarded as the world record specifically for women-only races.

Ngetich's win gave Kenya a double success at the championships. Her compatriot Veronica Loleo won silver with a time of 1:06:05, while Rwanda's Florence Nyonkuru took bronze in a national record time of 1:06:08.

The year 2026 has proved especially significant for Ngetich. In January, she won gold at the World Cross Country Championships. Her half marathon gold and world record in Copenhagen add another major achievement to her career.