Ngetich Sets World Record as U.S. Women Win First-Ever Team Medal

Kenya's Agnes Ngetich won the women's half marathon at the 2026 World Athletics Road Running Championships in Copenhagen on Sunday, setting a women-only world record with a time of 1:05:15. The 25-year-old's performance, which lowered the previous record by one second, secured her the individual world title and anchored Kenya to the team gold medal. Behind Ngetich, the United States women's team made history by winning the silver medal with a combined time of 3:19:51. This marked the first-ever team medal for American women at the World Half Marathon Championships. The U.S. team was led by Emma Grace Hurley, who finished fifth in a personal best of 1:06:23, moving her to third on the U.S. all-time women's half-marathon list. Weini Kelati placed sixth in 1:06:35, and Jessica McClain was seventh in 1:06:53, also a personal best. Ednah Kurgat completed the four-woman scoring team with a 17th-place finish. The U.S. team's participation in Copenhagen followed a special ruling by World Athletics. In March, a lead vehicle error at the USATF Half Marathon Championships in Atlanta disrupted the final mile for several top contenders, including McClain, Hurley, and Kurgat.