2026 World Road Running Championships: Agathe Guillemot takes gold and European record in Copenhagen Mile

France’s Agathe Guillemot became world champion in the Road Mile (1.609 km), setting a European record of 4:22.74. Twenty minutes later, Germany’s Robert Farken claimed the men’s title ahead of American Yared Nuguse. Here’s how it unfolded.

Hailu out front, Guillemot on her shoulder. At 800 m, the two rivals were locked together, racing in crisp 15-degree conditions. Then the Breton kicked clear, with more in reserve, and the Mile changed hands before a thoroughly deserved Marseillaise. Fabulous. But let’s rewind. The women set off at 10:10 on an exceptionally fast course, with two long straights broken up by a pair of tight turns around halfway. A 1,500 m race with 109 extra metres, tailor-made for speed. The finish came just a few steps from Parken Stadium, home of FC Copenhagen and the Danish national team, giving the final straight the feel of a penalty area.

800 m, when everything changed

Ethiopia’s Freweyni Hailu quickly moved to the front, ahead of Agathe Guillemot in the right-hand pack, which had set off ahead of the other group. Well positioned at 800 m, the two rivals ran shoulder to shoulder until the Breton edged past, with more in reserve. The Bigoudene closed it out in 4:22.74, a European record and the fastest time in the world this year. Hailu, a two-time world indoor champion over 1,500 m in 2024 and 3,000 m in 2025, took silver in 4:24.35, 1.61 seconds back. She had also finished second in Riga in 2023, behind Ethiopia’s Diribe Welteji. Kenya’s Mirriam Cherop completed the podium in 4:25.71. Fourth-placed Dane Annemarie Nissen set a home personal best of 4:26.78. Along the way, the French Road Mile record set in Riga in 2023 by Bérénice Cleyet-Merle in 4:34.41 disappeared by more than 11 seconds. Not bad for the French 1,500 m record-holder, whose mark stands at 3:56.24.

Agathe Guillemot, the new Road Mile world champion, speaks moments after the finish

“ When you cross the line, you’ve won. You’re world champion. I made a completely stupid bet. I said I was going to jump into the harbour with my medal. See you tonight in Copenhagen harbour (laughs). I can’t wait to see my coach. I’m world champion, you know. I’ll be world champion for life. It was crazy. Because all season I’d finished fourth, getting beaten on the line every time. And inevitably, in the final metres, I thought, this can’t be happening, someone’s going to come past me, I’m going to win, you never know. But actually, I’d written things down. I don’t often write things down, I’m more of a charging-ahead type. But for this race, I wrote things down. I said I wanted to be the boss, that if I was behind the girls, it was because I had decided to be, and if I was in front, it was because I had decided to be. And when the attack came, I was the one attacking. That’s exactly what happened. Sometimes you don’t know why, the planets line up and you win. It’s crazy. Hailu was there, and she’s a world-class athlete, so of course that gives you confidence. It’s a lot to take in all at once. Honestly, I don’t know. I do this sport to win races. My first win was on the road, over a kilometre, at an event called La Torche-Pont-la-Baisse. It doesn’t exist anymore, but I won my first road medal when I was seven. And now my first world title has also come on the road, so maybe I’m made for road running.”

The day before, she was already asking for a medal

At Thursday’s press conference, the 27-year-old Breton was already targeting the podium to cap her season, after finishing eighth in the 1,500 m at the Ultimate Championship in Budapest. “ I’m really looking forward to racing tomorrow, the future world champion admitted. I think it’s a great experience to be able to finish my season at an event like this, where you can share it with more people than on the track. It’s really an event that brings people together, as you say, 60,000 people. It’s great. And I’ve finished fourth twice this season. I hope I can still come away with a good medal and reward a season in which I’ve been really consistent, even though I haven’t had, let’s say, that standout breakthrough yet. I hope I can go on holiday tomorrow with another medal in my luggage. ” Except the medal is gold, and the breakthrough is anything but understated.

Augustine Haquet keeps learning

The second French entrant, Augustine Haquet, was competing at her second international event. After reaching the 1,500 m final at the European Championships in Birmingham, she continued her education at the highest level, finishing 26th in 4:40.14, a personal best. American Addison Wiley finished 10th, while Australia’s Sarah Billings took 12th.

Top 10 - Women’s Road Mile

1) Agathe Guillemot (France): 4:22.74

2) Freweyni Hailu (Ethiopia): 4:24.35

3) Mirriam Cherop (Kenya): 4:25.71

4) Annemarie Nissen (Denmark): 4:26.78

5) Naomi Korir (Kenya): 4:29.15

10:30, the men take over

Twenty minutes later, it was the men’s turn, with a clear favourite. American Yared Nuguse, Olympic 1,500 m bronze medallist in Paris, former world indoor Mile record-holder and freshly crowned national road champion in 3:54.06, set the pace from the front. But Germany’s Robert Farken, who trains alongside him at the On Athletics Club, stayed on his heels, made his move in the final and got the better of the American. Sixth in the 1,500 m at last year’s Tokyo World Championships, Farken ran the race of his life in 3:51.80, the fastest time in the world this year. It was faster than Nuguse’s best on the road, 3:51.90, and more than four seconds quicker than American Hobbs Kessler’s 3:56.13, which won in Riga in 2023. Nuguse took silver in 3:52.33, just 0.53 seconds back. Luxembourg’s Ruben Querinjean won bronze in a national record of 3:52.77, ahead of Morocco’s Anass Essayi, who set a personal best of 3:53.28.

Flavien Szot fifth and into the record books

Then there was France’s Flavien Szot. The recent Mediterranean Games 1,500 m champion finished fifth in 3:53.44, setting a new French Road Mile record. The previous mark was 3:56.57, set by Maël Gouyette in Riga in 2023. Szot finished just ahead of Australia’s Oliver Hoare. He had no time to savour it, though, as he was doubling back for the 5 km that same afternoon. Tough stuff.

Top 10 - Men’s Road Mile

1) Robert Farken (Germany): 3:51.80

2) Yared Nuguse (United States): 3:52.33

3) Ruben Querinjean (Luxembourg): 3:52.77

4) Anass Essayi (Morocco): 3:53.28

5) Flavien Szot (France): 3:53.44, national record

A slight sense of unfinished business for the French team. In the Road Mile team standings, which combine the results of two men and two women, France finished a frustrating fourth, the place nobody wants. The Americans took the win ahead of Australia and Kenya. One step higher and Guillemot’s title and Szot’s French record would have been echoed by a team medal.

65,000 runners, not just the stars

The appeal of these World Road Running Championships, being held for the second time three years after Riga, also lies in their mass-participation spirit. No fewer than 65,000 enthusiasts, 10,000 in the Road Mile, 20,000 in the 5 km and 35,000 in the half marathon, will run through the heart of the Danish capital. Each will race at their own level, over the same distances as the stars of the road. Agathe Guillemot saw that as a source of motivation too. “ I think it’s a great experience to be able to share this with everyone. Personally, I have friends who are also racing in the championships, so it’s cool to be able to compete at a World Championship and, at the same time, have friends running the Open 5 km. Sharing is the most important thing in this sport, I think. ” See you in two hours for the women’s 5 km at 14:10, followed by the men at 14:40 and the eagerly awaited duel between France’s Jimmy Gressier and Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen. The half marathon follows on Sunday, with the women at 9:10 and the men at 9:45.

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