Agnes Ngetich Falls Just Short of World Record in Dominant Display at Valencia Half Marathon

Kenya’s Agnes Ngetich and Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha dominated the Valencia Half Marathon on Sunday, October 26.

Agnes Ngetich’s victory in Valencia comes after a somewhat disappointing outing at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, where she finished a distant 15th in the women’s 5000m final and fourth in the 10,000m.

The victory in Valencia is consolation enough as the focus now shifts to making an impact on the roads for the 24-year-old.

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While Yomif Kejelcha claimed the men's title with an impressive time of 58:02, his effort fell short of Jacob Kiplimo's world record of 57:31.

Before the race, Yomif Kejelcha expressed full confidence in his preparation and coaching, saying he believes a personal best is within reach.

He recalled how much he endured last season, both physically and mentally, and admitted that heavy rain and strong winds around the 18 to 19 kilometre mark made things especially tough.

Asked whether he could challenge Jacob Kiplimo’s pending 56:42 world record from Barcelona, the Ethiopian athlete acknowledged it would be extremely difficult, joking that he might need a car to help him achieve it.

“If I beat my personal best on Sunday, I’ll celebrate the world record, not the national record,” he added.

Rodrigue Kwizera of Burundi came in second in the race, clocking a national record time of 58:39 ahead of Kenya’s Brian Kibor, who completed the podium in a personal best time of 58:39.

However, the day's biggest story unfolded just behind him, as Sweden's Andreas Almgren crossed the line in fourth place with a stunning 58:41, smashing the previous European record of 59:13 held by Julien Wanders. He became the first European to run the distance in under 59 minutes.

In the women's event, Agnes Ngetich delivered a dominant performance, clocking 63:08 to win. For a time, she appeared on track to challenge Letesenbet Gidey's world record of 62:52, especially after a blistering 29:28 split at the 10km mark.

Although she could not maintain the record-breaking pace, her time was still a world-leading performance for 2024.

“The world record is there. I’ll go for it, but it depends on how my body responds. The plan is to aim for the record, but we’ll have to see how the weather and my body feel. I pray to meet expectations in the race and be faster than last year,” Agnes Ngetich said before the race.

Ethiopia’s Fotyen Tesfay finished second in the race, clocking 1:05:11 ahead of Kenya’s Veronica Loleo, who clocked a personal best time of 1:05:46.

The prestigious race, officially known as the Medio Maratón Valencia Trinidad Alfonso Zurich, once again lived up to its reputation for producing fast times.