Kenyan Sabastian Sawe Breaks Men's Marathon World Record at London Marathon
Kenyan runner Sabastian Sawe set a new men's marathon world record of 1:59:30 at the London Marathon, becoming the first to officially run under two hours in a competitive race. Ethiopia's Yomif Kejelcha finished second in 1:59:41 on his marathon debut. In the women's race, Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa won and set a women's-only world record.
winnipegfreepress.comKenyan runner Sabastian Sawe broke the men's marathon world record at the London Marathon, finishing in 1:59:30 and becoming the first person to run an official marathon under two hours in competitive race conditions. The 30-year-old Sawe surpassed the previous record of 2:00:35 set by the late Kelvin Kiptum in 2023, crossing the finish line on the Mall in London more than one minute faster.
Multiple sources confirmed Sawe won the men's elite race, with Ethiopia's Yomif Kejelcha placing second in 1:59:41 just 11 seconds behind.
Sawe, who is Kenyan, hit the halfway mark in 1:00:29, already on world record pace, and accelerated in the second half. He made a decisive move before the final 10km, which only Kejelcha could match. Kejelcha, making his marathon debut, became the second man to run under two hours.
In the women's division, Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa won the London Marathon and set a women's-only world record time, according to AFP. The achievement marks a historic milestone, as previous sub-two-hour marathons, such as Eliud Kipchoge's 2019 run, were not record-eligible due to controlled conditions. Sawe's time was faster than Kipchoge's non-official mark.
2-mile course in under two hours for the first time in an official event.
Key Facts
Story Timeline
5 events- 2026-04-26
Sabastian Sawe breaks men's marathon world record at London Marathon in 1:59:30.
5 sources@TheAthletic · @BBCBreaking · @SkyNews · BBC News - 2026-04-26
Yomif Kejelcha finishes second in 1:59:41 on marathon debut.
2 sources@TheAthletic · @BBCBreaking full text - 2026-04-26
Tigst Assefa wins women's London Marathon and sets women's-only world record.
1 source@AFP - 2023
Kelvin Kiptum sets previous men's marathon world record of 2:00:35.
1 source@BBCBreaking full text - 2019
Eliud Kipchoge runs sub-two-hour marathon under controlled conditions, not record-eligible.
1 source@BBCBreaking full text
Potential Impact
- 01
Inspires future marathon training methods focused on sub-two-hour barriers.
- 02
Encourages more debutants like Kejelcha to challenge elite records.
Transparency Panel
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