Guillemot, Farken, Amebaw and Seare Crowned World Champions on Opening Day in Copenhagen

Posted by: Watch Athletics

Saturday, 19 September 2026

Agathe Guillemot and Robert Farken produced record-breaking victories in the road mile, while Likina Amebaw completed a remarkable global-title double and Dawit Seare stunned Jakob Ingebrigtsen in a dramatic men’s 5km final at the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Copenhagen. Four champions were crowned on an action-packed opening day in the Danish capital, which hosts the championships from September 19–20.

Women’s Mile

France’s Agathe Guillemot claimed the women’s road mile world title in a world-leading European record of 4:22.74.

Guillemot took more than half a second off the previous European record of 4:23.25, set by Great Britain’s Jemma Reekie in Düsseldorf earlier this month. The victory crowned a successful season in which the Frenchwoman also earned silver in the mixed relay at the World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee in January.

Guillemot finished fourth in the 1500m at both the World Indoor Championships in Toruń and the European Championships in Birmingham. She went on to place sixth at the Diamond League Final in Brussels and eighth at the Ultimate Championships in Budapest.

In June, Guillemot broke the French 1500m record with 3:56.24 at the Paris Diamond League meeting, adding to the European indoor title she won over the distance in Apeldoorn.

A large lead group remained tightly bunched for most of the race, with no athlete willing to take full control as the field passed 800m in 2:18. The favourites conserved their energy for a fast finish, and Guillemot remained sheltered in the pack before launching her decisive kick with just over 20 seconds remaining.

Her perfectly timed move carried her clear of the field and secured the first global individual title of her career.

“I was hoping for a medal. That was the perfect way to finish the season,” said Guillemot.

Ethiopia’s Freweyni Hailu finished second in a season’s best of 4:24.35, matching the silver medal she won at the inaugural World Road Running Championships in Riga in 2023, where she was beaten by compatriot Diribe Welteji. Hailu arrived in Copenhagen after winning the Diamond League 5000m title in Brussels two weeks earlier.

Kenya’s Mirriam Cherop claimed bronze in a season’s best of 4:25.71, while Denmark’s Annemarie Nissen delighted the home crowd by finishing fourth in a personal best of 4:26.78.

Kenya’s Naomi Korir placed fifth in a lifetime best of 4:29.15, followed by Jamaica’s Adelle Tracey, who improved her PB to 4:29.30. Australia’s Linden Hall finished seventh in an Oceanian record of 4:29.36, while Canada’s Lucia Stafford completed the top eight with a personal best of 4:29.51.

Men’s Mile

Germany’s Robert Farken captured the men’s road mile world title in a world-leading national record of 3:51.80, edging Olympic 1500m bronze medallist Yared Nuguse one day before his 29th birthday.

Farken moved to second on the world all-time road mile list, behind Elliot Giles, who set the world record of 3:51.3 in Düsseldorf in 2024.

“I practically put my legs in my hands and just ran,” said Farken. “It’s very overwhelming to come away with a world gold medal. This was my final race of the season, 100 percent. It is my last day in my twenties too, as I have my birthday tomorrow. I don’t need anything else for my birthday, for sure.”

Nuguse claimed silver in a season’s best of 3:52.33, while Luxembourg’s Ruben Querinjean earned a surprise bronze medal in a national record of 3:52.77.

Querinjean had previously won European silver in the 3000m steeplechase in Birmingham and lowered his national record in that event to 8:05.36 at the Diamond League meeting in Chorzów in August.

Nuguse immediately moved to the front and opened a small gap in an attempt to challenge the world record, with Great Britain’s Jake Heyward leading the chase. Farken, meanwhile, ran patiently and conserved his energy for the closing stages.

The German waited until the final 100m near Parken Stadium before unleashing a devastating sprint at almost the same point where Guillemot had made her winning move in the women’s race. Farken surged past Nuguse to secure the biggest victory of his career.

Farken made his major breakthrough in 2025, when he set German records of 3:30.80 in the 1500m and 3:49.12 in the mile. He improved both marks in the same race at the Emsley Carr Mile during the London Diamond League in July 2026, passing 1500m in 3:30.09 before completing the mile in 3:46.82.

He also finished ninth at the European Championships in Birmingham and 11th at the Ultimate Championships in Budapest.

Women’s 5km

Ethiopia’s Likina Amebaw claimed her second global title in just six days, winning the women’s 5km in 14:41 after her triumph over 5000m at the World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest.

Amebaw took control during the opening kilometre and established a strong pace at the front. Kenya’s Caroline Gitonga was the only athlete able to respond consistently to the Ethiopian’s surges.

The decisive move came during the fourth kilometre, when Amebaw broke away from Gitonga and quickly established a clear advantage. She extended her lead over the final kilometre and had enough time to wave to the crowd and celebrate as she approached the finish on a cool afternoon in Copenhagen.

Gitonga secured the silver medal in 14:48, while Australia’s Rose Davies produced a strong late surge to take bronze in an Oceanian record of 14:50.

South Africa’s Tayla Kavanagh finished one second behind Davies in 14:51. Ethiopia’s Aleshign Baweke placed fifth in 14:53, followed by Spain’s Marta García in 14:59 and Australia’s Georgia Griffith in 15:01.

“I’m coming straight from Budapest, but the shift from track to road was not really difficult, as I have been training for both at the same time,” said Amebaw. “The track was a bit difficult for me, so running the 5km today was better and I felt good.

“I had prepared for road racing. I knew I had to push from the very start, and it worked as planned. There was a little wind, but it was okay, and I managed to find some good spots on the course.”

Men’s 5km

Twenty-one-year-old Dawit Seare produced a sensational late comeback to win the men’s 5km, defeating Olympic and European champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen in an Eritrean record of 12:56.

Ingebrigtsen followed three seconds later, lowering the Norwegian record to 12:59 and smashing the previous personal best of 13:28 he set six years earlier.

Seare had finished fourth at the inaugural World Road Running Championships in Riga in 2023 while still a teenager. Three years later, he returned to claim the world title with one of the most dramatic finishes of the opening day.

The race began at a tactical pace, with Ingebrigtsen remaining inside the lead group throughout the first half. Ethiopia’s Mezgebu Sime attempted to break up the field with a surge shortly before the four-kilometre mark, but his advantage was short-lived.

Seare made his move with less than one kilometre remaining and took the lead. Ingebrigtsen responded, moving into second place as the athletes approached the home straight.

The Norwegian launched his sprint with 150m remaining and moved past Seare, seemingly putting himself on course for victory. Seare, however, found another gear. The Eritrean responded immediately, overtook a fading Ingebrigtsen and pulled clear over the final metres to claim a memorable gold medal.

“I knew Jakob was the big favourite and that beating him would be an almost impossible task,” said Seare. “When he passed me with 150 metres to go, I thought for a second that it was over.

“But I felt an incredible rush of adrenaline. I looked at the finish line and gave absolutely everything I had left to respond to his attack. Winning the gold and setting a national record is a dream come true.”

Eritrea’s 19-year-old rising star Saymon Amanuel completed the podium, setting a personal best of 13:00.

Australia’s Ky Robinson finished fourth in an Oceanian record of 13:04. Robinson won the world indoor 3000m bronze medal in Nanjing in 2025 and later claimed the Commonwealth 10,000m title.

Uganda’s Keneth Kiprop also clocked a personal best of 13:04 in fifth place. Ethiopia’s Addisu Yihune finished sixth in 13:07, ahead of Sime, who recorded a season’s best of 13:08. Kenya’s Mathew Kipchumba placed eighth in 13:11, followed by Burundi’s Egide Ntakaturimana in 13:12 and South Africa’s Maxime Chaumeton in 13:13.