Kenya’s Agnes Ngetich has set a groundbreaking world record, becoming the first woman to complete a women-only 10km road race in under 30 minutes. The 24-year-old achieved the feat in Herzogenaurach, Germany, finishing in an astonishing 29 minutes and 27 seconds.
Her performance surpasses the previous record of 30:01, which was set in 2021 by the late Agnes Tirop—also in Herzogenaurach. While Ngetich had clocked a faster time of 29:24 in a women-only race two years ago, it was never ratified due to the course being 25 metres short.
“I’m so excited, I didn’t expect this,” she said.
“Last year I missed it by two seconds, so I wanted to come here today and try for it again.
I’m so proud of myself. After missing out on the Olympics last year, I want to make up for it this year at the World Championships.”
Ngetich is no stranger to record-breaking runs. In 2023, she made headlines in Valencia when she became the first woman to run a mixed 10km road race in under 29 minutes. Her time of 28:46 shattered the previous mixed-race world record of 29:14, set by Ethiopia’s Yalemzerf Yehualaw in 2022.
