Keynan runner Agnes Ngetich sets new 10 km world record in Valencia
Agnes Ngetich shattered the world record in the women’s 10km road race at the 10K Valencia Ibercaja 2024. The World Athletics Label road race witnessed Ngetich clocking a record-setting time of 28:46 at the 10K event.
With this, the Kenyan athlete became the first woman to breach the 29-minute mark in the distance (to be ratified). Ngetich improved on the previous record set by Ethiopia’s Yalemzerf Yehualaw (29:14) in Castellon in yet another mixed-gender race.
World Athletics, the global governing body for Athletics, reported about the same, stating:
“OUT OF THIS WORLD 🔥🇰🇪's Agnes Ngetich smashes the 10 kilometres road race world record* by an astonishing 28 seconds at the @10KValencia and becomes the first women in history to break 29 minutes.”
The pacemaker set a fast pace right from the beginning, as Ngetich, Emmaculate Anyango, and the 2017 World Cross Country Championships bronze medalist Lilian Rengeruk, reached the 3km mark in 8:29. At the halfway point, Ngetich headed the group with a time of 14:13, closely followed by Anyango at 14:14 and Rengeruk, another 11-seconds behind.
Owing to a strong headwind in the second half of the road race, the competition slowed down a bit. Although Ngetich was able to maintain her pace, the 23-year-old Anyango began to fall behind around the 20:30 mark.
Agnes Ngetich finished the 10-km race with a record-setting performance of 28:46. Anyango wasn't far behind as she completed the race in 28:57, also smashing the previous world record by 17 seconds.
The 22-year-old was very happy with her performance, stating:
"Honestly, my clear goal was to break the world record but 28:46 is beyond any expectations," said Ngetich. "When I saw 14:13 by halfway I didn't scare, it just motivated me a lot to keep on pushing until the end. I have no words to describe what I feel now."
Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo, the 2020 Olympics and 2022 World Championships bronze medalist, took the first position in the men's race as he ran the 10km in 26:48.
Agnes Ngetich is a two-time World Cross Country Championships medalist
Agnes Ngetich won two medals at the 2023 World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, Australia. In the senior women’s race, she clocked a timing of 34:00 to clinch the bronze medal, finishing behind Beatrice Chebet (33:48), and Tsigie Gebreselama (33:56).
She won another medal at the event's 44th edition as she bagged the gold in the women’s senior team event. The Kenyan women’s team, comprising Chebet, Ngetich, Grace Loibach Nawowuna, and Edinah Jebitok, finished with a combined score of 16 points as compared to Ethiopia's 25 points and Uganda's 41 points.