Agnes Jebet Ngetich produced a stunning performance at the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Copenhagen on Sunday, 20 September, smashing the women-only half marathon world record.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsThe Kenyan led from gun to tape to win the women’s 21.1km race in 1:05:15, improving the previous women-only world record of 1:05:16 set by compatriot Peres Jepchirchir at the 2020 World Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia, Poland.Ngetich’s victory caps a remarkable year for the 10km world record-holder, who arrived in Copenhagen as one of the leading contenders for the title.##NAJAVA_MECA_9968684##The 25-year-old had already established herself as one of the world’s leading road runners, having made her half marathon debut in Valencia in 2024 with a remarkable 1:03:04. She returned to the Spanish city a year later and clocked 1:03:08.Those performances placed her among the fastest women ever over the distance, although the outright world record remains Letesenbet Gidey’s 1:02:52, set in Valencia in 2021. Caroline Gitonga leads Kenya to Silver at World Road Running ChampionshipsThe women-only record, however, belonged to Jepchirchir at 1:05:16 before Ngetich’s Copenhagen triumph.Ngetich has enjoyed an exceptional 2026 season. She claimed her first global title at the World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee in January before successfully defending her Sirikwa Classic title in February.She then announced herself in spectacular fashion on the roads, running a world-leading 28:58 over 10km in Lille in April, a performance that ranks among the fastest ever recorded.World Athletics signs MOU with UNHCR furthering commitment to work with refugeesIn June, she won the New York Mini 10km before displaying her track credentials at the Monaco Diamond League, where she dominated the 3000m field in a world-leading 8:08.95.Her only major setback came at the New York City Half Marathon in March, where she finished 13th in 1:10:25 after making an aggressive start. Copenhagen provided the perfect response as she returned to the top of the podium and rewrote the record books.Ngetich was joined on the podium and in the top five by fellow Kenyan Veronica Loleo, who finished second in 1:06:05, while another Kenyan, Daisilah Jerono, took fourth in 1:06:13.Rwanda’s Florence Niyonkuru split the Kenyan trio in third with 1:06:08, while American Emma Grace Hurley completed the top five in 1:06:23.Agnes Jebet Ngetich (Kenya) – 1:05:15Veronica Loleo (Kenya) – 1:06:05Florence Niyonkuru (Rwanda) – 1:06:08Daisilah Jerono (Kenya) – 1:06:13Emma Grace Hurley (USA) – 1:06:23
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