At the Copenhagen Half Marathon, a prestigious World Athletics Gold Label road race, Sabastian Sawe outpaced Jacob Kiplimo to clinch victory in the men’s race, while Margaret Kipkemboi dominated the women’s race with a solo effort.
In the men’s race, Uganda’s world record-holder Jacob Kiplimo, Kenya’s world champion Sabastian Sawe, and Kenyan compatriot Isaia Lasoi were all in contention in the final stages. Sawe delivered a powerful finish, breaking away from Kiplimo just before the finish line to win with a personal best (PB) of 58:05. Kiplimo finished four seconds behind in 58:09, while Lasoi was a second further back with a PB of 58:10.
On the women’s side, Kenya’s world half marathon silver medalist Margaret Kipkemboi pulled ahead of her rivals after 10km, ultimately winning by more than half a minute with a time of 1:05:11. Judy Kemboi came in second with a PB of 1:05:43, and Catherine Reline Amanang’ole, the world half marathon bronze medallist, finished third with a PB of 1:06:09.
The men’s race also featured Norway’s Olympic and world 5000m champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who was making his half marathon debut just two days after winning the Diamond League 1500m title in Brussels. Ingebrigtsen was part of a large lead group that passed 5km in 13:53, but the group quickly narrowed to six, including pacemaker Berihu Aregawi, Kiplimo, Sawe, Lasoi, Amos Kurgat, and Kennedy Kimutai.
However, Ingebrigtsen struggled to maintain the pace and stopped at 10km, reaching in 27:27—a Norwegian national record. Despite a few more stops, he continued to the finish, completing the race in 1:03:13.
After briefly letting Sawe take the lead, Kiplimo was back in front at 15km with a time of 41:17. The battle continued between Kiplimo, Sawe, and Lasoi, with Sawe taking control in the final stages. Having won the world half marathon title in Riga last year, Sawe will have the chance to return to Copenhagen in 2026 when the city hosts the World Athletics Road Running Championships.
Another athlete to watch for in future races could be Kipkemboi, who secured silver in Riga. At the Copenhagen Half Marathon, she ran with a group that reached 5km in 15:22, accompanied by Kemboi, Amanang’ole, Chelangat, and Zeray through 10km in 30:52. By 15km, Kipkemboi and Kemboi had pulled ahead, reaching that mark in 46:14, 15 seconds clear of Amanang’ole.
Kipkemboi then made her move, running the final section of the race solo. She hit the 20km mark in 1:01:42 and extended her lead to win with a time of 1:05:11.
