Agnes Ngetich wins Kenya’s 10th consecutive gold in the women’s senior race

As it turned out, three-time World Cross Country Champion Beatrice Chebet was unneeded as Agnes Ngetich dominated the women’s race at the 2026 Tallahassee World Cross Country Championships.

It was Kenya’s 10th consecutive gold in the event.

Ngetich ran to a 42-second lead, finishing in the time of 31:28 for the 10km race distance to take the title. Uganda’s Joy Cheptoyek took silver in 32:10, becoming Uganda’s first-ever individual senior women’s medallist at the World Cross Country Championships. Meanwhile, Ethiopia’s Senayet Getachew earned bronze in 32:13.

THE STREAK LIVES ON 🇰🇪

Agnes Ngetich, 10km world record holder, storms to victory at the #WorldCountryCountry to claim Kenya’s 10th straight women’s title 👑

She tore away from the pack early and wins by 42 seconds, the second biggest margin in the history of the… pic.twitter.com/SLyMA6ra2Y

— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) January 10, 2026

Ngetich was in control for almost the entirety of the race. It was during the second of five laps that she began to turn the screws on the field. She was unchallenged and continued to stretch the gap during each lap.

Getachew helped lead Ethiopia to the team title, their first since 2019, ahead of Kenya and Uganda. The victory marked a breakthrough moment for Ngetich, who added world gold to the bronze she earned in 2023, which secures her status as one of the all-time greats.

Ngetich holds the world record in the 10km from Valencia 2024, where she clocked a 28:46 performance.

The 24-year-old has run the second and third fastest half marathons in history with her 63:04 performance from Valancia in 2024 and 63:08 from Lisbon on October 2026. Only Ethiopian Letesenbet Gidey has run faster with her 62:52 from Valencia in 2021.

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