Kenya unveil team for World Road Running Championships in Copenhagen

16-member team to represent the country at the World Road Running Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark, on September 19–20. [Athletics Kenya]

Athletics Kenya has named a 16-member team to represent the country at the World Road Running Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark, on September 19–20, with a strong line-up assembled for the half marathon, 5km and Road Mile races.

The squad will be led by 2023 world 10,000m silver medallist Daniel Ebenyo and world 10km record holder Agnes Ng’etich, who will compete in the men’s and women’s half marathon respectively.

Ebenyo will be joined in the men’s 21km race by Gideon Rono, Nicholas Kipkorir and Michael Kiplangat, while Ng’etich will line up alongside Daisilah Jerono, Veronica Loleo and Lilian Kasait.

Ebenyo returns to the championships determined to go one better than his performance at the 2023 edition in Riga, Latvia, where he won silver in a dramatic all-Kenyan podium sweep.

Ebenyo clocked 59:14, finishing behind compatriot Sabastian Sawe, who won gold in 59:10, while Samwel Maili took bronze in 59:19.

The race became one of the most memorable moments of the championships when Ebenyo, who had led for much of the contest, slowed down with less than 200 metres remaining and allowed Sawe to cross the line first.

Ebenyo later explained that his decision was motivated by sportsmanship rather than a lack of strength.

“It is not that I was not strong, I wanted to tell the world that there are good people out there and it’s not always about winning,” Ebenyo said. “I wanted Sawe to win because I have been on the world stage so I wanted him to also have a feel.”

Now 30, Ebenyo will be seeking a maiden global gold medal in Copenhagen after a strong 2026 campaign. He won bronze at the World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Florida, in January, finishing the race in 28:45.

He also brings considerable half-marathon experience to the championships, having recorded victories in Laayoune, Chicago, Istanbul, Berlin and New Delhi. His personal best of 59:27, set in New Delhi in 2023, underlines his credentials over the distance.

Ng’etich, meanwhile, arrives in Denmark as one of the leading contenders in the women’s race. The 25-year-old claimed her first world title at the World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, winning gold in 31:28.

She also holds the Kenyan national half-marathon record after clocking 1:03:04 in Valencia in 2024. The mark ranks among the fastest performances ever recorded over the distance.

Kenya will also field competitive athletes in the 5km races. Charles Kiboino and newly crowned Commonwealth Games 5,000m champion Mathew Kipsang will carry the men’s hopes, while Caroline Gitonga and Caroline Nyaga will represent the country in the women’s race.

In the Road Mile, 2023 African 1,500m champion Brian Komen and former national 1,500m champion Daniel Munguti will compete for Kenya in the men’s race.

Reigning national 1,500m champion Naomi Korir and 2018 World Under-20 1,500m silver medallist Mirriam Cherop complete the women’s Road Mile team.