Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
Agnes Ngetich, the Kenyan athlete currently ranked No.1 in road running globally, is set to compete in the women's half marathon at the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Copenhagen. In 2026, she has shown remarkable versatility—winning the World Cross Country Championships in January by 42 seconds, posting a world-leading 28:58 for 10km in Lille, and recording 8:08.95 for 3000m in Monaco. Her half marathon debut in Valencia was a 1:03:04, and she followed up with a win in 1:03:08—both the second and third-fastest times ever, just behind Letesenbet Gidey's world record of 1:02:52. Although she finished 13th at the New York City Half Marathon in March, this remains an exception in her otherwise impressive record.
Among her challengers is Ethiopia's Tsigie Gebreselama, the 2023 world cross-country silver medallist and the fourth-ranked road runner worldwide. Gebreselama enters Copenhagen as the fastest entrant, having won the Lisbon Half Marathon in 1:04:48 and boasting a personal best of 1:04:21 from last year. She finished fourth at the inaugural World Road Running Championships and is targeting the podium this time. Another Ethiopian, Ftaw Zeray, impressed with a 1:05:12 personal best in Paris and a podium finish in Istanbul. She placed sixth in the half marathon at the 2023 Championships.
Kenya's strength in the event also features Lilian Kasait Rengeruk, who clocked 1:03:32 in Valencia 2024—making her the fourth-fastest woman ever over the distance. Rengeruk’s resume includes a 29:32 10km and fifth place in the Olympic 10,000m in Paris. Other Kenyan contenders, such as Daisilah Jerono and Veronica Loleo, have also recently set significant personal bests, underscoring Kenya's depth in the field.