Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei won bronze in the men’s half marathon at the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark, on Sunday, September 20, 2026.
Cheptegei crossed the finish line in 58:26, setting a personal best over the 21.0975-kilometre distance. The result secured Uganda a place on the podium in a closely contested race.
Sweden’s Andreas Almgren won the world title in a European record of 58:06, while Kenya’s Nicholas Kipkorir took silver in 58:11. Cheptegei finished five seconds behind Kipkorir.
The bronze medal marks another global podium finish for Cheptegei, who is a multiple Olympic and world champion. World Athletics had identified him among the leading contenders ahead of the Copenhagen race, noting his world and Olympic titles and his previous fourth-place finish at the 2020 World Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia.
Cheptegei had entered the race with a previous half-marathon best of 59:21, recorded in Gdynia in 2020. He had also run 59:26 to win in Dubai in February 2026. His Copenhagen performance therefore lowered his personal best by almost a minute.
The Uganda Olympic Committee congratulated Cheptegei on social media, describing the performance as an “incredible bronze medal finish” and citing his time as 58:25. Official World Athletics results and its race report, however, record the time as 58:26.
The championship in Copenhagen is being held from September 19–20, with the half marathon serving as the closing elite event. The course covered 21.0975 kilometres through the Danish capital.
For Cheptegei, the medal adds a road-running world championship podium to a career already marked by major track and cross-country honours.
