The Kenyan team collected seven medals — three gold, three silver and one bronze — to finish ahead of Ethiopia, who managed four medals, and Eritrea completed the East African sweep with two.
The performance mirrored Kenya’s success at the previous championships in Riga, Latvia, in 2023, where the country topped the standings with 12 medals, including five gold. Agnes Ng’etich was the star of Kenya’s campaign, adding a world record to her gold medal after winning the women-only half marathon in 1:05:15.
Ng’etich smashed the previous women-only world record of 1:06:16 set by compatriot Peres Jepchirchir at the 2020 World Half Marathon Championships, lowering the mark by 61 seconds.
She led a Kenyan one-two, with Veronica Loleo taking silver in 1:06:50. Rwanda’s Florence Niyonkuru was third in 1:06:08, while Kenya’s Daisilah Jerono finished fourth in 1:06:13. Ng’etich said she realised the record was within reach during the closing stages of the race. “When I reached 15 kilometres, I was so happy, because I got the feeling of ‘let me do this’, and there were only six kilometres left,” she said.
“I looked at my watch, and I was like, I am two seconds from the world record, and I thought ‘, No, I do not want to miss this’. I was putting all my energy into it.”
The 25-year-old dedicated the victory to her mother and coach, saying their belief in her provided motivation for the record-breaking performance.
“I was running this race for my mom. My coach believed in me and told me that I could do it, that I could win the gold medal. So I am very happy and very grateful to now hold the world record,” she said.
The victory capped a remarkable year for Ng’etich, who also won the women’s senior title at the World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Florida, in January.
“I have really prepared for this race, and this medal is a perfect closure to this season, because this race was the last championship,” she said. Loleo, competing at her first global championships, said the silver medal had exceeded her expectations.
“I didn’t expect to be on the podium, so for me I’m very happy. It is my first championship. This first championship medal I will award to my family and coach,” she said.
Nicholas Kipkorir added another silver in the men’s half marathon after clocking 58:11, finishing five seconds behind Sweden’s Andreas Almgren, who won in 58:06.
Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei was third in 58:26. Kenya’s depth was further demonstrated by Gideon Rono’s fifth-place finish in 58:57, Alex Matata’s eighth in 59:22 and Daniel Ebenyo’s ninth in 59:42.
“It was a tough race. After five kilometres I decided to push and, even if there was a lot of wind, it was a good decision,” said Kipkorir. “It is always hard on the last stretch towards the finish, and I had to push myself. I’m super happy with my medal.”
Kenya’s other medals came through the men’s and women’s team half marathon titles, Caroline Gitonga’s silver in the women’s 5km and Mirriam Cherop’s bronze in the women’s road mile.
