Incredible! Agnes Ng’etich sets half marathon world record
By Luke Oluoch, September 20, 2026Kenyan athlete Agnes Ng’etich exerted her dominance in the road races, setting a new women-only world record in the half marathon at the World Road Running Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Ng’etich crossed the finish line with a sensational time of 1:05:15, successfully shaving a staggering 61 seconds off the previous women-only world record of 1:06:16 set by compatriot Peres Jepchirchir at the 2020 World Half Marathon Championships.
1, 2 finish for Kenya
She brilliantly led Kenya to a dominant 1-2 finish for the nation, with teammate Veronica Loleo finishing close behind to bag the silver medal in a swift time of 1:06:50.
Rwanda’s Florence Niyonkuru courageously completed the podium by securing third place in 1:06:08, while fellow Kenyan standout Daisilah Jerono narrowly missed out on the podium medals after fighting hard to finish fourth with a time of 1:06:13.
This magnificent feat comes fresh after Ng’etich also set the prestigious world record for the 10km road race on Saturday, April 26, 2025, where she triumphantly broke the 30-minute barrier, inscribing her legendary name permanently in the history books with an astonishing 29:27 finish time at the Adizero Road to Records event held in Herzogenaurach.
Ng’etich dominates 2026
While her latest conquest in Denmark safely seals a brilliant second global title of the season for the exceptional distance runner, it has importantly extended her remarkable chapter across an outstanding and unforgettable 2026 campaign.
She had initially launched her remarkable year in spectacular fashion by capturing her maiden senior world crown at the World Cross Country Championships held in Tallahassee, Florida, on January 10. 2026.
With superstar compatriot Beatrice Chebet temporarily absent from the 2026 season to start a family, the immense spotlight immediately fell squarely on Ng’etich as she bravely carried the heavy responsibility of maintaining proud Kenya’s unbroken unbeaten run in the elite senior women’s category while expertly shrugging off fierce competition from fierce rivals hailing from Uganda and Ethiopia.
Ng’etich subsequently produced a commanding front-running display to win the senior women’s 10km title in 31:28, finishing comfortably ahead of silver-chasing Uganda’s Joy Cheptoyek (32:10) and bronze-winning Ethiopia’s Senayet Getachew (32:13).
Her extraordinary winning momentum seamlessly continued on home soil at the prestigious Sirikwa Classic Cross Country Tour on February 14, where she utterly dominated the women’s 10km event in 32:28, convincingly beating out competitors Mercy Chepkemoi (33:42) and Catherine Amanang’ole (33:51).