Running News Daily

Ethiopia’s Likina Amebaw produced another outstanding performance on the global stage on Saturday, September 19, 2026, winning the women’s 5km title at the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Amebaw stormed to gold in 14:41, adding another global title to her remarkable season just six days after winning the women’s 5000m at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest.

The Ethiopian distance star once again demonstrated her ability to deliver when it matters most, producing a commanding performance over the fast Copenhagen course to claim the world 5km road title.

Kenya’s Caroline Makandi Gitonga delivered a brilliant performance to secure the silver medal in 14:48, giving Kenya a place on the global podium. Gitonga stayed firmly in contention throughout the race before crossing the finish line just seven seconds behind the newly crowned champion.

Australia’s Rose Davies completed the podium in 14:50, taking bronze and setting an Australian area record in an impressive display of front-running and determination.

The result also saw several athletes produce notable performances behind the leading trio, with Marta Garcia recording 14:59, Georgia Griffith running 15:01, Samiya Hassan Nour finishing in 15:04, Hannah Gapes clocking 15:06 and Hannah Nuttall stopping the clock at 15:08, while Mirriam Cherop followed in 15:09 and Allie Ostrander in 15:10.

With two global titles secured within just six days, Likina Amebaw has turned an extraordinary week into a defining chapter of her 2026 season.

Women’s 5km Top 10 Results — Copenhagen 2026

1. Likina Amebaw — Ethiopia — 14:41

2. Caroline Makandi Gitonga — Kenya — 14:48

3. Rose Davies — Australia — 14:50 — Area Record

4. Marta Garcia — Spain — 14:59 — PB

5. Georgia Griffith — Australia — 15:01 — PB

6. Samiya Hassan Nour — Djibouti — 15:04

7. Hannah Gapes — Australia — 15:06 — PB

8. Hannah Nuttall — Great Britain — 15:08 — PB

9. Mirriam Cherop — Kenya — 15:09 — PB

10. Allie Ostrander — USA — 15:10 — PB

The Copenhagen race was fiercely contested, with the leading athletes pushing the pace over the flat and fast 5km course. Amebaw, however, had the strength to separate herself from her rivals and hold on for another major championship victory.

What makes her achievement even more remarkable is the short turnaround between her two titles. Winning a world 5000m championship in Budapest and returning only six days later to triumph over 5km on the roads of Copenhagen is a remarkable demonstration of endurance, recovery and championship racing ability.

For Ethiopia, Amebaw’s victory adds another major international success to a season already filled with impressive performances. For Kenya, Gitonga’s silver medal provides another strong result on the world stage and confirms her ability to compete among the best road runners in the world.

With two global titles secured within just six days, Likina Amebaw has turned an extraordinary week into a defining chapter of her 2026 season.

France’s Agathe Guillemot produced a breathtaking final surge to claim the women’s mile title at the 2026 World Athletics Road Running Championships in Copenhagen, securing the first individual global championship gold medal of her career.

Guillemot remained composed through the early stages of a tightly contested race, staying within the leading group as the athletes patiently waited for the decisive moments. Rather than committing too early, the Frenchwoman conserved her energy and positioned herself perfectly for the closing stages.

As the race entered its dramatic final phase, Guillemot unleashed a powerful acceleration that immediately changed the complexion of the contest. Her devastating finishing speed carried her away from her rivals, allowing her to cross the line in 4:22.74 and celebrate a memorable world championship triumph.

The victory was made even more remarkable by the quality of the performance. Guillemot’s winning time was a world-leading mark and a European record, taking almost half a second off the previous European record and moving her to fourth on the world all-time list.

Ethiopia’s Freweyni Hailu delivered another strong championship performance to secure the silver medal in 4:24.35. Hailu remained firmly in contention throughout the race, but she was unable to respond to Guillemot’s explosive finishing burst. It was Hailu’s second consecutive silver medal at the World Road Running Championships after also finishing runner-up in the inaugural edition in Riga in 2023.

For Kenya, Mirriam Cherop produced a performance full of determination and patience to capture the bronze medal in 4:25.71, returning to the global podium eight years after her breakthrough on the world junior stage.

Cherop first announced herself as a major international talent at the 2018 World U20 Championships in Tampere, Finland, where she won silver in the women’s 1500m in 4:10.73. She finished behind Ethiopia’s Alemaz Samuel, with Switzerland’s Delia Sclabas taking bronze.

Now, eight years later, Cherop has added a senior global medal to that junior silver, completing a remarkable journey from the junior podium in Tampere to the senior podium in Copenhagen.

Her bronze in Copenhagen was also a season’s best, underlining the quality of her performance against a world-class field. Cherop remained in medal contention deep into the race before holding her position through the decisive final stages.

The Copenhagen race was a tactical battle for much of the distance, with the leading athletes refusing to make a decisive move too early. The pack stayed closely bunched through 800 metres before the race began to unravel in the closing stages.

Guillemot’s patience ultimately proved decisive. With little more than 20 seconds of racing remaining, the Frenchwoman moved to the front and accelerated hard, quickly creating daylight between herself and the chasing group.

Behind her, Hailu secured silver while Cherop fought her way to bronze, giving Kenya another moment to celebrate on the world stage.

The result represents another important chapter in Cherop’s career. From a World U20 silver medal in Tampere in 2018 to a senior World Road Running Championships bronze in Copenhagen in 2026, eight years have separated two global podium appearances — but the determination to remain among the best has endured.

For Guillemot, meanwhile, Copenhagen provided the perfect ending to a demanding season. The Frenchwoman had already competed at major championships and international meetings across track, cross country and road racing before producing her biggest moment of the year on the streets of Copenhagen.

The home crowd also had reason to celebrate as Denmark’s Annemarie Nissen finished fourth in a personal best of 4:26.78, while Kenya’s Naomi Korir followed in fifth with another personal best of 4:29.15.

In the end, Guillemot’s perfectly timed attack delivered France a world champion, Hailu claimed another global silver, and Cherop completed a remarkable eight-year journey back to the world podium.

From junior silver in Tampere to senior bronze in Copenhagen, Mirriam Cherop’s story has entered another memorable chapter — and Kenya once again has a global medal to celebrate.

Women’s Road Mile Top 5 — Copenhagen 2026

1. Agathe Guillemot (France) — 4:22.74 — World Lead, European Record

2. Freweyni Hailu (Ethiopia) — 4:24.35 — Season Best

3. Mirriam Cherop (Kenya) — 4:25.71 — Season Best

4. Annemarie Nissen (Denmark) — 4:26.78 — Personal Best

5. Naomi Korir (Kenya) — 4:29.15 — Personal Best

The women’s mile in Copenhagen delivered a compelling championship race, combining tactical patience, a dramatic late surge and a closely contested battle for the medals. Agathe Guillemot’s decisive finish secured the world title, Freweyni Hailu added another global silver to her résumé, while Mirriam Cherop completed the podium after a determined performance. With a world-leading time, a European record and a tightly fought medal battle, the race provided a memorable highlight of the World Athletics Road Running Championships.

The 2021 World Under-20 800m champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi says he wants to use next month’s Kip Keino Classic to gauge his preparedness ahead of the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary in August.

Speaking in an exclusive interview on Monday, the speedster said he is tirelessly toiling at an elite camp in Kapsabet to perfect his act for a podium finish at Moi Stadium, Kasarani on May 7.

The prestigious one-day meet is part of the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold series and enters the third edition with at least 1,000 athletes set to battle for a share of the prize purse and world ranking points.

“I’m currently practicing for the Kip Keino Classic in Kapsabet at the 2-Running Club training camp,” Wanyonyi stated.

“I’m currently concentrating all my energies on training for the Kip Keino Classic. I’ll be using the competition to get ready for the Budapest World Athletics Championships next year,” Wanyonyi said.

He added: “I’ve been training with my eyes set squarely on the World Championships. I’m eager to demonstrate my dominance on this grand platform.”

A podium finish in Hungary is the middle-distance track sensation’s bare minimum.

“I plan to finish on the podium. I also want to better my personal best, but I wouldn’t mind trying for the record as well. I want to be considered one of the world’s best 800m runners. This is doable if I put in enough time in training,” Wanyonyi explained.

He believes lack of senior-level experience cost him a podium finish in Oregon. Nonetheless, he reckons he gleaned some invaluable lessons that could propel him to victory in Budapest.

“It was lack of experience that cost me the victory. It was my first World Championships and I’m glad I came away with a lot of valuable lessons,” Wanyonyi, who finished fourth in 1:44.54, stated.

However, he redeemed himself at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, Australia when he, alongside Mirriam Cherop, Daniel Munguti and Brenda Chebet, scooped the mixed relay title.

He believes their amazing performance at the competition has increased his ambition to achieve global greatness and add another medal to his cabinet.

“Our performance in Bathurst was quite encouraging heading to the World Championships. It was a huge morale booster and my confidence in repeating this performance in Budapest has skyrocketed,” he said.

Wanyonyi rose to global stardom after storming to the gold medal at the 2021 World Under-20 Championships at the Moi Stadium in Kasarani, where he set a championship record of 1:45.01.