From selling chang'aa and charcoal to breaking world records: The inspiring story of Agnes Ng'etich
.jpg)
Reading Time: 6min | Sat. 02.11.24. | 16:11
The 25-year-old started the year on a high by becoming the first woman to run 10km in under 29 minutes
We are all a story — the sum of our experiences.
All stories are remarkable in their unique way. But some stories penetrate deeper because they reveal the uncomfortable truth that we are often more fortunate than we realize. These are the inspirational stories. This is the story of World 10km record holder Agnes Jebet Ng'etich.
Reading the stories of other people provides an opportunity to reflect on our situation; a moment of external observation. Acknowledging what someone else has been through enables us to place ourselves and recognize value in what is easily taken for granted.
The 25-year-old started the year on a high by becoming the first woman to run 10km in under 29 minutes.
However, behind her triumph was a tale of countless struggles.
The youngster was born on January 23, 2001, in Kinamget Tabare village in Elgeyo Marakwet County, Keiyo South. She is the second child in a family of seven sisters and a brother.
During her primary school education, Jebet competed in various school activities just for fun when she discovered that she could run well. She did not utilize her talent until 2016 when the unfortunate happened.
“I knew I could run when I was young in class six, but I did not maximize on it. After my father died in 2016, we went through a lot of challenges.
My mum was pushing me to run because she used to run when young. She told me not to let my talent go to waste,” she disclosed.
Growing up in a home with a traditional division of roles meant that her father, a secondary school chemistry and mathematics teacher, was the sole breadwinner. When he died from cancer, that trauma was a catalyst for immediate change.
The sudden loss hit her mother hard. Consumed by a loss of hope for a stable future, she turned to alcohol. That is when Jebet picked up the slack, and took the weight of responsibility for supporting the family onto her shoulders.
It was then that she resorted to brewing and selling chang’aa (moonshine), as well as burning and selling charcoal, to ensure that her siblings had a meal on the table.
The harsh reality of her circumstances forced her to make sacrifices, often compelling her to skip school to attend to the pressing needs of her family.
“My younger siblings were looking up to me as their dad and I did not want to disappoint them. I used to sell alcohol, and charcoal so that they could go to school and get something to eat. Sometimes I would be late for school or even miss school,” she emotionally recalled.
Despite all the burden, she still slotted in some time to run, hoping that someday her talent would open unimaginable doors. While competing in school competitions, she sometimes fainted due to hunger. Even if it meant arriving at the start line without shoes, she still took part in races.
"I started running in school. I went to school competitions and sometimes I was running barefoot, actually, and without food. Because even when you don't have any food in the house, you just go to the competition anyway,” she offered.
That was her life until she completed her primary school education. But her potential did not go unnoticed. A good Samaritan named Ruth Chepchumba Bundotich who had been closely watching her races took her in at the Kamwosor Junior Athletics Camp where she sharpened her skills as she continued with her secondary school education.
While at the camp, Jebet still had to multitask training, schoolwork, as well as making ends meet for her family.
“It was tough. I had to make ends meet as well as attend training and classes. I used to train barefooted. Life was very hard; it is what keeps me fighting,” she averred.
Her breakthrough came in 2017 when she was enrolled at the Ikaika Sports Management which would open doors for Adidas Company. The company helped her mother build a permanent home and assisted with paying fees for her siblings.
“Then I met Adidas Company, who helped me pay my fees as well as that of some of my siblings,” she revealed.
Having a support system, Jebet went on to make the 2021 Team Kenya to Algeria for the Cross-Country Championship which was her first professional race.
Jebet has since competed in several local cross-country championships which have shaped her athletics career. She has since claimed the top spot in various local races including Sotik, Bomet, and the Kapsokwony Athletics Kenya (AK) Cross Country meets.
In 2023, she started her season on a high by winning a bronze medal at the February World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, Australia.
She ended her year with a bang by breaking the women-only world 10km record in the Transylvania 10km in Brasov, Romania, with a time of 29:24. The organizers of the run would then release a statement that the distance of the run was 25 m short which led to a non-record-eligible course.
For Jebet, the setback only motivated her to aim higher and prove what she was capable of. When she lined up for the 10k Valencia Ibercaja race in January, she was aiming at sending a message to the world; she was the new 10km queen! She did exactly that by becoming the first woman ever to run a 10km in under 29 minutes.
She shed 28 seconds from the previous world record to register an incredible time of 28:46.
With the impressive start to the year, one would naturally expect her to be among the Kenyan contingent to the Olympics. However, health issues forced her to skip the Olympic trials but did not dim her star.
After shaking off injury, she came back to competitive running on a high. She made her Valencia Half Marathon debut on Sunday 27 October in style, narrowly missing out on the women’s world half marathon record in an impressive win to clock 1:03:03.
She looked prime to beat Letensebet Gidey’s world half marathon record of 1:02:52 but fell 12 seconds short.
And on that day, as she crossed the finish line, the rain pouring hard and blurring her vision, she could not discern any faces, but she could hear the crowd cheering on the woman whose story they all know. The one who survived the harsh childhood, the one who had to learn to fight for her dreams, the one who never gave up.
When the announcer called her name that morning after crossing the line, Jebet allowed herself to cry. “But only for like three seconds,” she said. “Then it was all celebration in Valencia.”
Her coach Julien Di Maria believes that Jebet is the biggest talent he has ever set eyes on since coming to Kenya 12 years ago.
“She is very committed, and professional, and she wants to succeed. I think those are the basic qualities of a champion. We want to make Kenya prouder this year.
Hopefully, she will win more medals for Kenya. If she continues this way, she can win everything she wants, win more medals, be a champion, be happy, and make Kenya proud,” he concluded.
.jpg)
