COPENHAGEN, Denmark (World-Track) — Kenya’s Agnes Jebet Ngetich shattered the women-only half marathon world record Sunday, running 1 hour, 5 minutes, 15 seconds to win gold at the World Athletics Road Running Championships Copenhagen 26. The following are the top results from the race.
Ngetich’s performance lowered the previous women-only world record of 1:06:16 by 61 seconds. The Kenyan already held the national record at 1:03:04, a time set in a mixed-gender race in Valencia in 2024; the Copenhagen mark is recognized separately as a women-only record. – Read Also: Women’s Road Mile start list at Copenhagen 26: Freweyni Hailu, Mirriam Cherop lead the list
Ngetich pulled away to win by 50 seconds over Kenyan teammate Veronica Loleo, who took silver in 1:06:05. Rwanda’s Florence Niyonkuru earned bronze in a national-record 1:06:08, holding off Kenya’s Daisilah Jerono by five seconds. The victory gave Ngetich her second global title of 2026 after she won the women’s race at the World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Florida, in January. She entered Copenhagen as the fastest woman in the field on career credentials, with her 1:03:04 personal best ranking among the fastest half marathons ever run.
The United States placed three runners among the top seven. Emma Grace Hurley finished fifth in a personal-best 1:06:23, followed by Weini Kelati Fregzhi in sixth at 1:06:35. Jessica McClain was seventh in a personal-best 1:06:53.
Women’s Half Marathon Results
World Athletics Road Running Championships Copenhagen 26
Sept. 20, 2026
| Place | Athlete | Country | Time | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Agnes Jebet Ngetich | KEN | 1:05:15 | WRwo |
| 2 | Veronica Loleo | KEN | 1:06:05 | — |
| 3 | Florence Niyonkuru | RWA | 1:06:08 | NR |
| 4 | Daisilah Jerono | KEN | 1:06:13 | — |
| 5 | Emma Grace Hurley | USA | 1:06:23 | PB |
| 6 | Weini Kelati Fregzhi | USA | 1:06:35 | — |
| 7 | Jessica McClain | USA | 1:06:53 | PB |
| 8 | Ftaw Zeray | ETH | 1:07:07 | — |
| 9 | Fatima Ezzahra Birdaha | MAR | 1:07:33 | NR |
| 10 | Esther Chebet | UGA | 1:07:38 | — |
| 11 | Meselech Alemayehu | ETH | 1:07:42 | PB |
| 12 | Rebecca Chelangat | UGA | 1:07:43 | SB |
| 13 | Glenrose Xaba | RSA | 1:07:49 | — |
| 14 | Baraky Redae | ETH | 1:07:51 | — |
| 15 | Emeline Imanizabayo | RWA | 1:08:02 | — |
| 16 | Jadyn Keeler | CAN | 1:08:03 | NR |
| 17 | Ednah Kurgat | USA | 1:08:11 | PB |
| 18 | Tsigie Gebreselama | ETH | 1:08:30 | — |
| 19 | Chloé Herbiet | BEL | 1:08:44 | — |
| 20 | Carrie Ellwood | USA | 1:09:12 | SB |
| 21 | Elvanie Nimbona | ITA | 1:09:14 | — |
| 22 | Mekdes Woldu | FRA | 1:09:17 | — |
| 23 | Georgie Grgec | NZL | 1:09:18 | — |
| 24 | Tiantian Liang | CHN | 1:09:30 | — |
| 25 | Yumi Yoshikawa | JPN | 1:09:34 | — |
| 26 | Dolshi Tesfu | ERI | 1:09:34 | NR |
| 27 | Samantha Harrison | GBR | 1:09:35 | — |
| 28 | Sheyla Eulogio Paucar | PER | 1:09:42 | NR |
| 29 | Oria Liaci | SUI | 1:10:15 | PB |
| 30 | Alexandra Bell | GBR | 1:10:21 | — |
| 31 | Alessia Zarbo | FRA | 1:10:24 | SB |
| 32 | Marta Galimany | ESP | 1:10:24 | — |
| 33 | Margaux Sieracki | FRA | 1:10:27 | — |
| 34 | Lilian Kasait Rengeruk | KEN | 1:10:36 | SB |
| 35 | Annet Chemengich Chelangat | UGA | 1:10:41 | SB |
| 36 | Julia Paternain | URU | 1:10:42 | NR |
| 37 | Viviana Aroche Lopez | GUA | 1:10:53 | NR |
| 38 | Julia Mayer | AUT | 1:10:54 | NR |
| 39 | Angelique Ibishatse | RWA | 1:10:56 | PB |
| 40 | Laura Galván | MEX | 1:10:57 | — |
| 41 | Annie Rodenfels | USA | 1:11:02 | — |
| 42 | Florence Caron | CAN | 1:11:03 | PB |
| 43 | Lisa Rooms | BEL | 1:11:08 | — |
| 44 | Yuna Takahashi | JPN | 1:11:12 | — |
| 45 | Élissa Legault | CAN | 1:11:15 | PB |
| 46 | Nataliya Strebkova | UKR | 1:11:16 | PB |
| 47 | Zarita Suárez | PER | 1:11:31 | — |
| 48 | Carolina Wikström | SWE | 1:11:35 | — |
| 49 | Adela Honorato | MEX | 1:11:36 | — |
| 50 | Yuyu Xia | CHN | 1:11:36 | — |
Notes
- WRwo — World record, women-only race
- NR — National record
- PB — Personal best
- SB — Season best
Verification note: The supplied official-results data lists Loleo at 1:06:05. Some early third-party reports instead listed her at 1:06:50, but that conflicts with the official result supplied and with the stated 50-second winning margin. This report uses the official-results time of 1:06:05.
