Ngetich breaks women half-marathon record

Agnes Ngetich, a Kenyan runner, broke the world record for women's half-marathon at the World Road Running Championships held in Copenhagen. She completed the race in 1 hour, 5 minutes, and 15 seconds, narrowly beating her own record by two seconds. Ngetich, 25 years old, credits her coach for believing in her abilities and pushing her to achieve this feat.

The previous record, set by her compatriot Peres Jepchirchir in 2020, was one minute and five seconds slower. Ethiopia's Letesenbet Gidey currently holds the overall women's half-marathon world record with a time of 1:02:52. Ngetich's record-breaking performance was not her only achievement at the championships. In April 2025, she set a new 10km world record, becoming the first woman to run the distance in under 30 minutes.

She had previously broken the 10km world record in Valencia in 2024, setting a time of 28:46. Ngetich expressed her gratitude for her accomplishments and hinted at future plans. She mentioned discussing her future with her coach and her aspiration to compete in track races again in 2027, as winning a gold medal in a track event remains her ultimate goal.

Sweden's Andreas Almgren won the men's half marathon, breaking his own European record by 35 seconds. He finished the race in 58:06, setting a new record.