Agnes Ngetich breaks women-only half marathon world record to win world title in Copenhagen

Kenya's Agnes Ngetich won the women's half marathon at the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Copenhagen on Sunday, September 20, running 1:05:15 to set a women-only world record.

The time took one second off the previous women-only record of 1:05:16, set by fellow Kenyan Peres Jepchirchir at the 2020 World Championships in Gdynia, according to World Athletics.

How the race unfolded

World Athletics published Ngetich's splits as 15:12 at 5km, 30:39 at 10km, 46:17 at 15km and 1:01:56 at 20km.

Her compatriot Veronica Loleo finished second in 1:06:05, 50 seconds behind, and Rwanda's Florence Niyonkuru took bronze in 1:06:08. Kenya's Daisilah Jerono was fourth in 1:06:13.

The United States placed three runners in the top seven: Emma Grace Hurley was fifth in 1:06:23, Weini Kelati Frezghi sixth in 1:06:35 and Jessica McClain seventh in 1:06:53. Ethiopia's Ftaw Zeray finished eighth in 1:07:07.

Team title for Kenya

Kenya won the women's team competition in a combined 3:17:33. The United States took second in 3:19:51 and Ethiopia third in 3:22:40, World Athletics reported. ABC News noted that Ngetich's run helped Kenya secure the team half marathon title in Copenhagen, adding a second gold medal to her individual win.

Ngetich's reaction

"My coach believed in me and told me that I could do it, that I could win the gold medal. So, I am very happy and very grateful to now hold the world half marathon record, too," Ngetich said, according to World Athletics and ABC News.

ABC News reported that Ngetich, 25, also won the World Cross Country Championships in January.

The overall record

ABC News noted that the overall women's half marathon world record belongs to Ethiopia's Letesenbet Gidey, who ran 1:02:52 at the 2021 Valencia Half Marathon in a race that included both women and men.

Why it matters

Ngetich's win adds a world half marathon title and a world record to her World Cross Country title from earlier in the year. In Copenhagen, Kenyan women took first, second and fourth places as well as the team gold. The women-only record had stood since 2020.

Sources

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.