Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei has won bronze in the men’s half marathon at the 2026 World Athletics Road Running Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark, clocking a new personal best of 58:26 on Sunday, September 20.

Cheptegei finished behind Sweden’s Andreas Almgren, who claimed gold in a European record of 58:06, and Kenya’s Nicholas Kipkorir, who took silver in 58:11.

The bronze marks another global podium finish for Cheptegei, who returned to major international competition in Copenhagen after winning the Olympic 10,000m title at Paris 2024. World Athletics had listed his previous half-marathon personal best as 59:21, set when he finished fourth at the 2020 World Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia.

His 58:26 represents a significant improvement on that mark and places him among the leading performers in a race that saw the first three athletes all break 59 minutes.

Men’s Half Marathon — Top Three

Andreas Almgren (Sweden) — 58:06, European record

Nicholas Kipkorir (Kenya) — 58:11

Joshua Cheptegei (Uganda) — 58:26, PB

Cheptegei’s medal adds another major international achievement to an already decorated career that includes Olympic and world titles over 10,000m, a world cross-country title and world records over 5,000m and 10,000m.