Kenya's Sabastian Sawe has become the first man to run a marathon in under two hours, winning the London Marathon with a time of 1:59:30. Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia finished second, stopping the clock at 1:59:41. Both runners beat the previous world record time of 2:00:35, set by Kelvin Kiptum in 2024.
The 31-year-old Sawe, who has never lost a marathon, shattered the world record held by the late Kelvin Kiptum. 'I am feeling good, I am happy, it's a day to remember for me,' Sawe told the BBC, holding up his shoe with 'WR' 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.'
Eliud Kipchoge was the only person to have ever covered the marathon distance in under two hours, but his heavily supported sub-two hour time from 2019 is not considered a world record. Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia stayed on Sawe's heels for much of the 42.195-kilometre course before fading in the final stretch to take second in his marathon debut with 1:59:41, while Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda took the bronze in 2:02:28.
Conditions were close to ideal for fast running in London, with mid‑teen temperatures and light winds creating a platform for the record times. British marathon runner and former London champion Paula Radcliffe said on the BBC coverage the time would 'reverberate around the world', adding that 'the goal posts have literally just moved for marathon running'.
Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia broke her own women's-only world record en route to victory, crossing the finish line in 2:15:4, 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,' Assefa told the BBC. Hellen Obiri was second in 2:15:53, while Joyciline Jepkosgei took the bronze in 2:15:55.
Sawe, cheered on by an estimated one million supporters, said: 'Finally, what I had done for four months has come today to be a good result. I want to thank the crowds for cheering us. I think they help a lot.' Sawe, who trains at altitude in western Kenya, has said he was inspired by his uncle, former Ugandan Olympian Abraham Chepkirwok.
