Kenya’s Agnes Ngetich stormed to a women-only world half marathon record of 1:05:15.to win her second global title of the year at the World Athletics Road Running Championships Copenhagen 26 on Sunday (20).
Dominating the race, the 25-year-old won by 50 seconds ahead of her teammate Veronica Loleo to add the world half marathon title to the world cross-country crown she claimed in Tallahassee in January.
Like in Tallahassee, Ngetich was a class apart. As she strode over the finish line, she took one second off the world record for a women-only race of 1:05:16 set by her compatriot Peres Jepchirchir when winning the world half marathon title in Gdynia in 2020.
How many world records does Agnes Ng’etich have?
Ngetich now holds three world records – adding this latest performance to her world 10km records of 28:46 set in a mixed race and 29:27 achieved in a women-only race.
Ngetich was aggressive from the start in Copenhagen. She went straight to the front and covered the first kilometre in around three minutes, continuing down Østerbrogade and past the Trianglen in control. She was 10 seconds ahead by the 5km mark, which she reached in 15:12, and she extended that advantage to 26 seconds ahead of an eight-strong chase pack by 10km, with 30:39 on the clock.
The gap grew again, to 53 seconds by 15km, reached by Ngetich in 46:17. Rwanda’s Florence Niyonkuru remained a strong member of the chase group, running alongside Kenya’s Daisilah Jerono and USA’s Emma Grace Hurley as they completed 15km in 47:10. They were joined by Loleo, USA’s Weini Kelati Frezghi and Ethiopia’s Ftaw Zeray, as USA’s Jessica McClain and Ethiopia’s Tsigie Gebreselama were dropped.
Ngetich forged ahead, hitting the 20km mark in 1:01:56, 51 seconds ahead of her rivals, and she held on to make history at the finish line, raising her arms in celebration as she crossed it with 1:05:15 on the clock.
Loleo won the fight for silver in 1:06:05 and Niyonkuru claimed bronze in a national record of 1:06:08, five seconds ahead of Jerono. Hurley was fifth in a PB of 1:06:23 and she was followed by her teammates Kelati Frezghi in sixth and McClain in seventh.
“My coach believed in me and told me that I could do it, that I could win the gold medal,” said Ngetich. “So, I am very happy and very grateful to now hold the world half marathon record, too.”
How has Agnes Ng’etich performed in 2026?
It has been a highly successful year for Ngetich, who won her world cross-country title by 42 seconds in Tallahassee before clocking a world-leading 28:58 for 10km in Lille, the third-fastest performance in history. She then ran 8:08.95 for 3000m in Monaco – also the third-fastest performance of all time – and she further proved her impressive versatility in Copenhagen.
“After one kilometre, I was like, let me try to push the pace, because I saw an opportunity to get the world record,” she added. “When I reached 15 kilometres, I was so happy, because I got the feeling of “let me do this”, and there were only six kilometres left. Crossing the finish line with a world record by just one second was unbelievable.
“I am now going to discuss with my coach what is ahead of me. But I know I am coming back to track races in 2027, because there is a World Championships. It is my dream to win a gold medal on the track. It is the only one I am missing.”
Ngetich led Kenya to the team title, combining with Loleo and Jerono for a team time of 3:17:33. USA got team silver and Ethiopia team bronze.
World Road Running Championships leading individual results
- Agnes Ngetich (KEN) 1:05:15
- Veronica Loleo (KEN) 1:06:05
- Florence Niyonkuru (RWA) 1:06:08
- Daisilah Jerono (KEN) 1:06:13
- Emma Grace Hurley (USA) 1:06:23
- Weini Kelati Frezghi (USA) 1:06:35
- Jessica McClain (USA) 1:06:53
- Ftaw Zeray (ETH) 1:07:07
- Fatima Ezzahra Birdaha (MAR) 1:07:33
- Esther Chebet (UGA) 1:07:38
World Road Running Championships team medallists
- Kenya 3:17:33
- United States 3:19:51
- Ethiopia 3:22:4
