COPENHAGEN, September 20, 2026 — Likina Amebaw delivered Ethiopia’s first gold medal of the World Athletics Road Running Championships on Saturday, winning the women’s 5km in 14:41. Freweyni Hailu added silver in the road mile, giving Ethiopia two podium finishes on the opening day in Copenhagen.
Amebaw’s victory came just six days after she won the 5000m at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest. She took control of the road race before pulling clear to finish seven seconds ahead of Kenya’s Caroline Gitonga, who clocked 14:48. Australia’s Rose Davies claimed bronze in 14:50.
The women’s mile produced a different finish. France’s Agathe Guillemot timed her late surge to win in 4:22.74, a European record. Hailu crossed second in 4:24.35, while Kenya’s Mirriam Cherop took bronze in 4:25.71.
Sunday’s women’s half marathon will bring the two-day championship to a close. The race is scheduled to start at 9:10 a.m. local time in Copenhagen, with Kenya’s Agnes Ngetich and Ethiopia’s Tsigie Gebreselama among the leading contenders. The race had not yet started when this report was prepared; its result should be added after the finish.
