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

World record performance in Copenhagen

Kenyan runner Agnes Jabet Ngetich won the half marathon at the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Copenhagen on Sunday, 20 September 2026. The 25-year-old athlete completed the 21.1-kilometre road course in a time of one hour, five minutes, and 15 seconds (1:05:15). Her result took one second off the previous women-only half marathon world record. That mark had stood at 1:05:16 since fellow Kenyan Peres Jepchirchir won the World Athletics Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia in 2020. The overall women's world record, which includes mixed-gender races with male pacemakers, remains 1:02:52, established by Ethiopia's Letesenbet Gidey in Valencia in 2021.

Solitary lead through the course splits

Ngetich attacked the race from the opening kilometres on a sunny morning in Copenhagen and maintained an uncontested lead from start to finish. She passed the 5-kilometre split in 15:12, building a 10-second gap over the main chasing group. At the 10-kilometre checkpoint, Ngetich recorded a time of 30:39, extending her advantage to 26 seconds over a pack of eight pursuers. By 15 kilometres, her split reached 46:17, while a three-woman chase group featuring Florence Niyonkuru of Rwanda, Daisilah Jerono of Kenya, and Emma Grace Hurley of the United States passed in 47:10, widening the deficit to 53 seconds. Ngetich went through the 20-kilometre mark in 1:01:56 with a 51-second margin before crossing the finish line in 1:05:15.

Women's podium and team classification

Veronica Loleo of Kenya finished second behind Ngetich in 1:06:05, crossing the finish line 50 seconds after the winner. Rwanda's Florence Niyonkuru secured the bronze medal three seconds later, stopping the clock at 1:06:08. Spain's Marta Galimany finished 32nd in 1:10:24, having tracked through 5 kilometres in 16:21, 10 kilometres in 32:59, and 15 kilometres in 50:05 in 34th position. In the women's team competition, Kenya captured the gold medal, the United States won the silver medal, and Ethiopia took the bronze medal. The road running victory gives Ngetich her second world title of the year, following her World Athletics Cross Country Championships gold medal won in Tallahassee in January 2026, alongside her women-only 10-kilometre road world record set in 2025.

Men's race and global podiums

In the men's half marathon event, Sweden's Andreas Almgren won the world championship title with a time of 58:06. Kenya's Nicholas Kipkorir took the silver medal five seconds later in 58:11, while Uganda's Joshua Cheptegei earned the bronze medal in 58:26. Spanish 10-kilometre road record holder Said Mechaal competed in his first international road event, finishing in 29th place after an aggressive early pace from the lead pack. In the men's team classification, Kenya secured the gold medal, Ethiopia claimed the silver medal, and the United States took the bronze medal.