Agnes Ngetich clocks 1:05:15 in Copenhagen: one-second record and the forgotten category

Agnes Ngetich of Kenya won the women's race at the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Copenhagen with a time of 1:05:15, one second faster than Peres Jepchirchir's 2026 women-only half marathon world record. The runner-up, Kenyan Veronica Loleo, finished 50 seconds behind. Ngetich claimed both the world title and the category record in a single race. This is a women-only record, meaning the race excluded male pacemakers. In road running, the women's half marathon record is split into two categories: women-only and mixed-race. The mixed-race record remains Letesenbet Gidey's 1:02:52 from 2026, which is 2 minutes 23 seconds faster than Ngetich's new mark. The headline framing of a world record can therefore obscure the fact that Ngetich has not yet run the fastest women's half marathon ever. Ngetich attacked from the start and led throughout, showing front-running confidence. She already held the women's 10 km road world record from the previous year, giving her two world records in about twelve months. That repeated result strengthens the case that her performance reflects real ability rather than a lucky day. Still, the one-second improvement over Jepchirchir came in similar championship conditions, and the Copenhagen course, weather and shoe technology are not fully disclosed. A new record from Kenya also carries the usual need for World Athletics ratification and long-term anti-doping verification. The most interesting next step is whether Ngetich will enter a mixed-race event against Gidey, because until then the title of fastest woman in the half marathon remains with the Ethiopian athlete.