Kenyan runner Agnes Ngetich claimed victory at the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Copenhagen on Sunday, setting a new world record for women-only half-marathons with a time of one hour, five minutes, and 15 seconds. She improved upon the previous mark by a single second.
Ngetich established her dominance early, leading from the front throughout the sunny race. She crossed the finish line 50 seconds ahead of her compatriot Veronica Loleo, who secured second place. The former record was held by fellow Kenyan Peres Jepchirchir, who set the mark in Poland during the 2020 World Half Marathon Championships.
While Ngetich’s performance sets a new standard for races with female competitors only, the overall women’s half-marathon world record remains with Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey. She recorded a time of 1:02:52 at the mixed-gender Valencia Half Marathon in Spain in 2021.
The 25-year-old continues her successful season, adding this global title to her recent achievements, which include winning the team half marathon in Copenhagen and the World Cross Country Championships in Florida earlier in January. She also broke the women-only 10km world record last year.
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