Kenyan Agnes Ngetich dominates elite field to clinch gold in Lille’s 10 km race
By Luke Oluoch, April 4, 202610 km world record holder Agnes Jebet Ngetich extended her prolific streak in the discipline with a dominant victory at the Lille Urban Trail on Saturday, April 4, 2026.
Her winning time in the northern French city marks the second-fastest finish in the history of the 10 km race.
Straight from winning her first World Cross Country title in Tallahassee, Florida, in January 2026, where she won the senior women’s 10 km title by the second-largest margin in the event’s history, Ngetich maintained her cruising shape, winning the Lille encounter in a time of 28:58.
The feat, however, saw the Kenyan run slightly slower than her record-breaking time of 28:46, set in Valencia in 2024, but it was ultimately sufficient to see her across the line against a star-studded elite lineup.
The 2026 Sirikwa Classic Cross Country winner outpaced a strong challenge from the Ethiopian pair, Chaltu Diriba (30:02), who finished second.
Her compatriot Hirut Meshesha rounded up the podium finishers in a time of 30:05.
Nadia Battocletti, the 2024 Olympic silver medalist in 10000 meters, was ranked fourth.
Italian record
The Italian, who was recently crowned 2026 World Indoor 3000m Champion, was expected to mount opposition to the Kenyan; nonetheless, she set an Italian record after managing 30:08.
Brenda Jepchirchir, the competition’s defending champion, finished outside the top five slots despite boasting an impressive time of 30:04 heading into the race.
Ngetich breaks 30-minute barrier
On Saturday, April 26, 2025, Ngetich permanently inscribed her name in the history books after she smashed through the barrier with 29:27 at the Adizero Road to Records event in Herzogenaurach.
The previous record of 30:01 had been set in the same German town by the late Agnes Tirop in 2021.
Mixed-race event
In 2024, Ngetich broke the 10km world record in Valencia, becoming the first woman to run the distance in under 29 minutes in a mixed-race event.
She recorded a time of 28:46, breaking Yalemzerf Yehualaw’s world record for a mixed road race of 29:14 set in 2022.