HERZOGENAURACH, Germany (AP) — Kenya’s Agnes Ngetich became the first runner to break the 30-minute barrier in a women-only 10-kilometer road race Saturday, clocking 29 minutes, 27 seconds at the Adizero Road To Records event.
Ngetich smashed the old mark of 30:01 set by Agnes Jebet Tirop in 2021 at the same event in Germany.
Ngetich also holds the outright record of 28:46 set last year in a mixed-gender race.
“Last year I missed it by two seconds, so I wanted to come here today and try for it again,” Ngetich said. “After missing out on the Olympics last year, I want to make up for it this year at the world championships.”
The 24-year-old Kenyan clocked 29 minutes 27 seconds in Herzogenaurach.
That broke the previous record of 30:01, set in the same German town by the late Agnes Tirop in 2021.
Ngetich clocked a time of 29:24 two years ago in a women-only race, but the record was not ratified because the course was found to be short by 25 meters.
“I’m so excited, I didn’t expect this,” she said.
“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.”
Last year, Ngetich broke the 10km world record in Valencia, becoming the first woman to run the distance in under 29 minutes in a mixed-race event.
She recorded a time of 28:46, breaking Yalemzerf Yehualaw’s world record for a mixed road race of 29:14 set in 2022.