Three world records: Africa’s year in the half marathon
Jacob Kiplimo, Yomif Kejelcha and Agnes Ngetich all set world records over 21.1km in 2026.
Key points
- Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo ran a half-marathon world record of 57:20 in Lisbon in March 2026; the mark is pending ratification.
- Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha took 29 seconds off it with 56:51 in Buenos Aires on 23 August 2026.
- Kenya’s Agnes Jebet Ngetich set a women-only world record of 1:05:15 to win the world title in Copenhagen on 20 September 2026.
The half marathon has belonged to African runners in 2026, with three world records set by athletes from three different countries.
Kiplimo, then Kejelcha
In March, Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo ran 57:20 in Lisbon to set a new men's world record. The mark is pending ratification.
It did not last long. On 23 August, Ethiopia's Yomif Kejelcha ran 56:51 in Buenos Aires, taking 29 seconds off Kiplimo's time and regaining the record for himself. Kejelcha had already shown his form in April, when he became only the second man to run a marathon under two hours, finishing second behind Sabastian Sawe in London.
Ngetich's world title
On 20 September, Kenya's Agnes Jebet Ngetich won the half marathon at the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Copenhagen in 1:05:15. That was a world record for a women-only race, one second faster than Peres Jepchirchir's mark from 2020.
Ngetich led from start to finish and won by 51 seconds. Rwanda's Florence Niyonkuru took bronze in a national record of 1:06:08. It was Ngetich's second global title of 2026, after she won the World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Florida, in January.
Sources
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