Ngetich breaks world 10 km record in Valencia

Kenyan runner Agnes Ngetich broke the 10km world record in Valencia on Sunday, shaving 28 seconds off the previous mark, becoming the first woman to run the distance in under 29 minutes.

Ngetich clocked a time of 28:46, breaking Yalemzerf Yehualaw’s road mixed race world record set two years ago.

“I am so happy. I didn’t expect this world record. I was coming to improve my time, at least somewhere around 29:14, but I am happy that I ran a world record of 28 minutes. I didn’t expect this,” Ngetich said.

The 22-year-old World Cross Country Championships 2023 team gold medallist had previously set the 10 km world record in a women-only race in September with a time of 29:24.

Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo won the men’s race in Valencia with a time of 26:48.