Kenya's Ngetich breaks women-only half marathon world record by a second

Kenya's Agnes Ngetich shattered the women-only half-marathon world record by a full second on Sunday, securing victory at the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Copenhagen with a time of 1:05:15. The 25-year-old athlete, who also previously broke the women-only 10km world record last year, dominated the race from the start, leading until the very end.

Ngetich finished 50 seconds ahead of her fellow Kenyan Veronica Loleo, who claimed the silver medal. The previous record was set by Kenyan runner Peres Jepchirchir during her win at the World Half Marathon title in Poland in 2020. The current world record for the women's half-marathon is held by Ethiopian runner Letesenbet Gidey, with a time of 1:02:52, set in 2021 at the mixed-gender Valencia Half Marathon in Spain.

This win marks the latest major title for Ngetich this year, as she also won the team half marathon in Copenhagen and the World Cross Country Championships in Florida, USA, in January.