Kenyan distance runner Agnes Ngetich has broken the women’s-only half-marathon world record, winning the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Copenhagen in 1:05:15.
Ngetich lowered the previous women’s-only record by one second, adding another major achievement to Kenya’s long tradition of success in distance running.
She finished 50 seconds ahead of compatriot Veronica Loleo, while Rwanda’s Florence Niyonkuru took third place in 1:06:08.
The Kenyan took control of the race from the opening stages and maintained her lead throughout the event.
Her victory secured the world championship title while simultaneously improving the women’s-only world record.
Ngetich’s winning time was particularly significant because the previous women’s-only half-marathon world record had also been held by a Kenyan.
Peres Jepchirchir had set the previous mark when she won the world half-marathon title in Gdynia in 2020. Ngetich’s performance therefore kept the record in Kenyan hands.
The race took place on a sunny morning in the Danish capital, with Ngetich moving to the front early and refusing to surrender her advantage. By the finish, she had created a substantial gap over the rest of the field.
Loleo’s second-place finish also produced a strong Kenyan result, with the two athletes occupying the top two positions. Niyonkuru completed the podium for Rwanda.
For Ngetich, the performance adds another world record to an already impressive international career.
She also broke the women-only 10-kilometre world record in 2025, establishing herself as one of the leading figures in women’s road running.
Her latest achievement also reinforces Kenya’s continuing presence at the highest level of international distance running.
Kenyan athletes have historically produced some of the world’s leading marathon and distance runners, and Ngetich’s victory provides another example of that tradition.
The result was particularly notable because it came at the World Athletics Road Running Championships, giving Ngetich both a world title and a world record on the same occasion.
The 1:05:15 performance means Ngetich improved the previous women’s-only mark by just one second, demonstrating how closely matched the record times are at the highest level of the event.
Her victory also provided a significant Kenyan success on the international athletics stage, with two Kenyan runners finishing first and second.
Ngetich’s achievement in Copenhagen now adds her name to the list of Kenyan women who have set world records in road running, while her championship victory gives her another major title to accompany her record-breaking performances.
With the women’s-only half-marathon record now standing at 1:05:15, Ngetich leaves Copenhagen with both the world championship crown and a new benchmark for future athletes to chase.
