African athlete sets new half marathon world record

Kenya’s Agnes Ngetich has claimed her second global title of the year after winning the world cross-country crown in January Kenyan runner Agnes Ngetich has broken the women-only half marathon world record by one second, clocking 1:05:15 to win gold at the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Copenhagen.

The 25-year-old eclipsed the 1:05:16 mark set by compatriot Peres Jepchirchir in Gdynia, Poland, in 2020.

Race data published by World Athletics on Sunday showed that Ngetich led from the start and opened a ten-second advantage by the five-kilometer mark.

She finished 50 seconds ahead of fellow Kenyan Veronica Loleo, who took silver in 1:06:05, while Rwanda’s Florence Niyonkuru claimed bronze with a national record of 1:06:08.

The women-only record applies to races contested without male athletes or pacemakers.

Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey holds the overall women’s half marathon record of 1:02:52, achieved in a mixed race in 2021.

Ngetich herself ran 1:03:04 in a mixed race in Valencia in 2024, the second-fastest women’s half marathon time recorded at the time.

The Copenhagen victory gave her a second global title this year following her triumph at the World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Florida, in January.

She also holds the mixed-race and women-only 10 km world records of 28:46 and 29:27 respectively.

READ MORE: Kenya beats European rivals to bring World Athletics Championships to Africa “I am very happy and very grateful to now hold the world half marathon record, too,” Ngetich said, according to World Athletics.

Ngetich said she would consult her coach about her next steps but planned to return to track racing for the 2027 World Championships in Beijing.

“It is my dream to win a gold medal on the track,” she said, describing it as “the only one I am missing.” Unstoppable 🤯 Agnes Ngetich storms to her second global title of 2026, dominating the women’s half marathon in a women-only world record of 1:05:15* 💪 🥇 Agnes Ngetich 🇰🇪 1:05:15* WR 🥈 Veronica Loleo 🇰🇪 1:06:05 🥉 Florence Niyonkuru 🇷🇼 1:06:08 NR 🔗 https://t.co/clRNip5jFP … pic.twitter.com/QEp0xDV7U3 — World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) September 20, 2026 At the 2026 championships, Kenya won the women’s team title, ahead of the US and Ethiopia.

The East African country also claimed the men’s team gold, while Nicholas Kipkorir took individual silver in the half marathon.

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