World record holder Agnes Jebet takes pride after being likened to Faith Kipyegon

Agnes Jebet Ngetich has stated how pleased she is after being compared to multiple world record holder Faith Kipyegon.

The 22-year-old recently broke the 10km road race world record at the 2024 10K Ibercaja event held in Valencia, Spain on Sunday January 14.

The Kenyan ran a calculated race from the start and went on to destroy the previous world record of 29:14 which was set by Ethiopia’s Yalemzerf Yehualaw in 2022 by an impressive 28 seconds. 

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The one-time Urban Trail de Lille winner turned on the gears to reach the tape in 28:46 and in the process becoming the first woman to finish a 10km race in less than 29 minutes. 

After shocking the world with the commanding display in Valencia, Jebet became a household name.

Many people including her agent Davor Savija started comparing her to other great East African female runners who had to overcome numerous obstacles to thrive in the competitive athletics field.

For instance, Savija likened the priceless gem to Kipyegon, who has clinched two Olympic Games and multiple World Championship gold medals.

“This is a generational talent that is here to stay. This is some kind of Faith Kipyegon in the making,” he was quoted by Letsrun.com.

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Furthermore, the Serbian international revealed that Jebet did not train in 2022 because she was preparing for her final school examinations. 

“Her World Athletics statistics don’t say the story of schooling – going to school [until 2022], physically not training at all in her last year when she was [studying for] matriculation exams.

Gaining weight, going through puberty, all of these things,” commented the man from Ikaika Sports.

According to Savija, the 2023 World Cross Country Championships bronze medalist has a very bright future ahead of her.

“Now [she] has a dream, now has food, now has three or four pacemakers, now has 150km per week, now has Lornah [Kiplagat]’s [all-weather] track,” he explained.

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Jebet currently trains in Iten, Elgeyo/Marakwet County under the watchful eyes of Coach Julien Di Maria.

To find out how she feels about being compared to arguably the greatest ever middle-distance runner of all time, SportPesa News had an exclusive interview with Jebet. 

“Am happy because Faith is my mentor and her journey inspires me particularly how she always fights,” she commented.

When asked about her plans for the 2024 season which has just started, Jebet stated that she will have to sit down with her coach before making any decision.

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