Almgren, Ngetich Set Half Marathon Records in Copenhagen
Almgren, Ngetich Set Half Marathon Records in Copenhagen
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Key Points
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Andreas Almgren improved his own European half-marathon record by 35 seconds, moving to ninth on the world all-time list. The Copenhagen victory was his first global gold, following a world 10,000-meter bronze and a European 10,000-meter title.
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Before the Copenhagen race, Agnes Ngetich’s personal best was 1:03:04, a Kenyan record and the second-fastest women’s half-marathon performance in history; her 1:05:15 world record applies specifically to women-only races without male pacemakers.
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Ngetich’s 2026 season included a 42-second victory at the World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee and a world-leading 28:58 for 10 kilometers on the roads in Lille, reinforcing her status before the Copenhagen championships.
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Ngetich’s only reported setback of the season came at the New York Half Marathon in March, where she finished 13th in 1:10:25 before rebounding with successive 10-kilometer victories and the Copenhagen world record.
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The women’s race produced a Kenyan one-two: Veronica Loleo won silver in 1:06:50, while Kenya’s Daisilah Jerono finished fourth, narrowly missing the podium behind Rwanda’s Florence Niyonkuru.
Kenya's Agnes Jebet Ngetich shattered the women-only half-marathon world record at the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Copenhagen, clocking 1:05:15 and breaking the previous mark by just one second Al Jazeera. She led from the opening kilometer and crossed the finish line 50 seconds ahead of fellow Kenyan Veronica Loleo, who took silver in 1:06:50 Marathon Handbook.
Sweden's Andreas Almgren claimed the men's title in a stunning European record of 58:06, edging Kenya's Nicholas Kipkorir by five seconds Marathon Handbook. Uganda's Joshua Cheptegei rounded out the podium with a personal-best 58:26, capping a dominant day for distance running at the championships.
Ngetich Caps Dominant 2026 Season With Title
Ngetich's Copenhagen victory climaxed a standout year. She won the World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee by 42 seconds and posted a world-leading 10-kilometer road time of 28:58 in Lille Marathon Handbook. Before Copenhagen, her personal best was 1:03:04 — the second-fastest women's half-marathon ever New York Times.
A rare stumble came in March at the New York Half Marathon, where she finished 13th in 1:10:25. But Ngetich rebounded quickly with back-to-back 10-kilometer victories before her record-breaking run in Copenhagen. The women-only record reflects a race without male pacemakers; the overall half-marathon record remains Letesenbet Gidey's 1:02:52 from a mixed competition Al Jazeera.
Almgren Breaks European Record and Reaches Ninth All-Time
Almgren's 58:06 shattered his own European half-marathon record by 35 seconds, moving him to ninth on the world all-time list Marathon Handbook. The Swedish runner's Copenhagen gold marked his first global championship title after claiming a 10,000-meter bronze at the World Championships and a European 10,000-meter title Marathon Handbook.
His five-second victory over Kenya's Kipkorir demonstrated the razor-thin margins in elite distance running. Cheptegei's third-place finish added to Uganda's growing depth in the half-marathon distance, with his personal-best time placing him among Africa's elite 21-kilometer runners.
Kenya Dominates Women's Race With Rare Sweeping Finish
Kenya locked down the top two spots and came within a hair of the podium sweep. Loleo's silver in 1:06:50 gave Kenya a commanding one-two, while Daisilah Jerono finished fourth and narrowly missed bronze Al Jazeera. Rwanda's Florence Niyonkuru earned the bronze medal, keeping Kenya from a complete podium takeover Marathon Handbook.
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