Despite narrowly missing the women’s Half Marathon world record, Agnes Ng’etich says she was pleased to have defended her Valencia crown on Sunday.
The 24-year-old speedster was on a mission to obliterate the 1:02:52 world record set by Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey on the same course in 2021 and for much of the race, she was right on track to do so.
Ng’etich, who made her Valencia debut last year with a commanding victory in a national record time of 1:03:04, crossed the finish line this time in 1:03:08, a world-leading mark that sealed her back-to-back triumph in the Spanish city.
The World 10,000m fourth-place finisher dictated the pace from the gun, leading Ethiopia’s Fotyen Tesfay (1:05:10) and compatriot Veronica Loleo (1:05:46) to the podium in emphatic fashion.
Ng’etich set a blistering tempo early on, going through 5km in 14:38, 11 seconds clear of Tesfay, who came into the race as the world leader with 1:03:35 from Berlin in April.
She maintained her ferocious rhythm through 10km in 29:28, well inside world-record pace, leaving spectators convinced history was about to be rewritten.
But as the race entered the decisive stretch, Ng’etich was forced to battle strong headwinds in the closing kilometres, her stride still powerful but her rhythm slightly checked.
Despite that, she clocked 1:03:08, the fastest time in the world this year and another commanding reminder of her class.
“I know I have the world record in my legs, and my splits were inside that pace until 15km,” Ng’etich said afterwards.
“Even without breaking the world record, I’m satisfied because I have competed in Valencia three times once over 10km and twice over the half marathon and I have won all of them.”
Valencia has become Ng’etich’s favourite hunting ground.
In January 2024, she shattered the world 10km record on the same streets, clocking 28:46.
In the men’s race, Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha reigned supreme in 58:02, outpacing Burundi’s Rodrigue Kwizera and Kenya’s Brian Kibor, who both clocked 58:39.
Fellow Kenyans Nicholas Kipkorir (59:44) and Gideon Kiprotich (1:00:03) settled for sixth and eighth place respectively.
