Sawe Makes Marathon History with Sub-Two-Hour Run in London

(MENAFN) Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe delivered a landmark performance at the 2026 London Marathon, becoming the first athlete to complete an official marathon in under two hours, while Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa set a new benchmark in the women’s race.

Sawe, 31, successfully defended his title by clocking 1:59:30, breaking the long-standing two-hour barrier in a competitive field. He made a decisive move after the 30-kilometer mark, pulling away from Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha and Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo following a tightly contested early pace.

Kejelcha secured second place with a time of 1:59:41 in his marathon debut, finishing just seconds behind, while Kiplimo placed third in 2:00:28. All three runners surpassed the previous world record in an exceptional race.

“I am so happy; it is a day to remember for me,” Sawe said. “Reaching the finish line, I saw the time, and I was so excited to run a world record today.”

In the women’s event, Assefa defended her title by setting a new women-only world record of 2:15:41, improving on her previous best set at the same race.

Kenya’s Hellen Obiri finished closely behind in 2:15:53, followed by Joyciline Jepkosgei in 2:15:55. The race marked the first time three women completed a marathon in under 2 hours and 16 minutes.

“I screamed when I finished because I knew I was breaking the world record,” Assefa said, attributing her achievement to improved conditioning and focused speed training.

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