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World Athletics Lets U.S. Add Three Women to Half Marathon Worlds After Misdirection

The one-off remedy offers a path to compete without rewriting national results.

Pan-Am Games - Santiago 2023 - Athletics  - Coliseo Estadio Nacional, Santiago, Chile - October 30, 2023 Ednah Kurgat of the U.S. in action during the Women's 10000m Final REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian/File Photo

Overview

  • - World Athletics, which announced the change Wednesday, approved seven U.S. entries for the women’s half marathon at the 2026 World Road Running Championships in Copenhagen.
  • - USATF will name four scoring runners, while Jessica McClain, Emma Grace Hurley, and Ednah Kurgat enter as non-scoring athletes after being led off course at the U.S. championship.
  • - Non-scoring athletes cannot earn medals or count toward team results, though they will receive world ranking points, and USATF pledged to pay prize money if any place in a prize slot.
  • - The U.S. roster also includes national podium finishers Molly Born, Carrie Ellwood, and Annie Rodenfels, with one final spot to be filled via world rankings in May.
  • - Organizers said a police shift from their posts to handle an emergency left a gap that let a lead vehicle guide the frontrunners off course, prompting what World Athletics called a strictly one-off fix.