Kenya's Sabastian Sawe becomes first man to run marathon under two hours to win in London

Kenya's Sabastian Sawe shattered one of athletics' most
elusive barriers today (26 April), becoming the first man to run a marathon in
under two hours as he stormed to victory at the London Marathon in one hour 59
minutes and 30 seconds.
After years of global obsession,
lab‑backed experiments and near‑misses, the marathon's ultimate barrier finally
fell as Sawe obliterated the world record previously held by the late Kelvin
Kiptum, who set a time of 2:00:35 at the Chicago Marathon in October 2023.
Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia stayed
on Sawe's heels over much of the 42.195-kilometre course before fading down the
final stretch to take second in his marathon debut with 1:59.41, while Jacob
Kiplimo of Uganda took the bronze in 2:00.28, making for the most remarkable
men's marathon finish in history.
"I am feeling good, I am happy, it's a day to remember
for me," Sawe told the BBC, holding up his shoe with "world
record" and "sub-2" written on it in black marker pen.
"We started the race well.
Approaching finishing the race, I was feeling strong. Finally reaching the
finish line, I saw the time and I was so excited. I think today shows me a lot
the first (time) for everyone, and I am so happy for today. Coming to London
for the second time was so important to me and that's why I prepared well for
it."
Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia broke her
own women's only world record en route to victory. The 29-year-old pulled away
from Kenyans Hellen Obiri and Joyciline Jepkosgei down the home stretch to cross
the finish line in 2:15.41 seconds, beating the record of 2:15.50 she set last
year in London.
"I'm so happy to win again, I
want to thank God for giving me this victory, to repeat my victory from last
year means even more. And so the happiness I feel is just welling up inside
me," Assefa told the BBC.
Obiri was second in 2:15.53, while Jepkosgei took the bronze in 2:15.55.
Conditions were close to ideal for fast running, with mid‑teen temperatures in
London and light winds to create the platform for the record times.
The sub‑two‑hour marathon has been
one of sport's biggest obsession for years, pursued through a series of highly
engineered projects aimed at redefining human limits.
Uh, and this is just a great way of spending their time in retirement.
Nike's Breaking2 attempt at Monza
in 2017 just fell short though Kenyan great Eliud Kipchoge ran under two hours
in INEOS's 1:59 Challenge two years later. Yet those efforts fell outside the
sport's official record books.
Sawe's historic race today differed
in its setting and its stakes, achieved in open competition on one of the
world's biggest stages, turning an idea long tested in controlled conditions
into a landmark moment recognised by the sport itself.
The remarkable feat comes despite
the fact that he was injured throughout the autumn and started training
properly only in January before realising in February that he was going to be
fit enough to defend his title in London.
Sawe, who was cheered on by an
estimated million supporters lining the course that snaked along the River
Thames before the finish line on The Mall against the backdrop of Buckingham
Palace, had predicted a world record might be required to beat a fast field.
"Finally, what I had done for
four months it has come today to be a good result," he said. "I
want to thank the crowds for cheering us. I think they help a lot, because if
it was not for them you don't feel like you are so loved.
"I think they help a lot
because them calling make you feel so happy and strong and pushing. That is why
I can say what comes for me today is not for me alone but all of us in
London."
Sawe, who trains at altitude in
western Kenya, has said he was inspired by his uncle, former Ugandan Olympian
in the 800 metres Abraham Chepkirwod and was encouraged by a teacher who once
told him: "Running is not just talent, it is your fortune and your
future."
He announced himself by winning
with his dazzling marathon debut in Valencia in December 2024 in what was the
fifth fastest time ever at that point, and has been perfect in every one of his
races over the distance since.
Sawe has spoken out in the past
about problems with doping in the sport. He has called for regular testing
and, mindful of Kenya's poor doping record, invited the Athletics Integrity
Unit to test him as much as possible last year. They did so 25 times in the
run-up to the 2025 Berlin Marathon.
"The main reason was to show
that I am clean, and I am doing it the right way," he said.
Switzerland's Marcel Hug and
Catherine Debrunner won the men's and women's wheelchair events. Hug won for
the sixth consecutive year and eighth overall, while Debrunner outsprinted
American Tatyana McFadden to the finish for her third win in a row in London.
















