Kenya's Agnes Jebet Ngetich breaks World Record in 10km marathon

Kenya's long-distance athlete Agnes Jebet Ngetich smashed the 10-kilometer world record in Herzogenaurach, Germany, on Saturday, becoming the first woman to run the distance in under 30 minutes in a women-only race.

With the win, Ngetich, 24, who clocked a time of 29 minutes, 27 seconds, broke the late Agnes Tirop's record of 30:01 set in the same German town in 2021.

"I'm so excited. I didn't expect this," Ngetich said following her victory.

"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," she told the Reuters News Agency following the race.

Back in 2023, Ngetich had clocked a time of 29:24 in a women-only 10-kilometer race, but the record was not ratified because the course was found to be short by 25 meters.

Last year, Ngetich broke the 10-kilometer world record for a mixed race in Valencia, Spain, becoming the first woman to run the distance in under 29 minutes.

She recorded a time of 28:46, breaking Yalemzerf Yehualaw's mark.