Sabastian Sawe of Kenya has become the first person to break the fabled two-hour barrier in the marathon. In a monumental moment for sports history, Sawe smashed the men’s world record by 65 seconds, winning the London Marathon on Sunday with a time of 1 hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds.
The second-place finisher, Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia, also dipped under two hours, crossing the line in 1:59:41 — remarkably in his debut marathon. Third-placed Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda also beat the previous world-record time, set by Kenya’s Kelvin Kiptum in Chicago in 2023, by seven seconds, finishing in 2:00:28.
Kiptum, who died at age 24 in a car crash two years ago, was widely expected to one day break the two-hour mark. Sawe, 29, who retained his London Marathon title, thanked the massive crowds lining the streets of the British capital for their support.
“What comes today is not for me alone but for all of us today in London,” Sawe said. “I think I’ve made history today in London, and for the new generation it shows to run a record is possible. It depends on the preparation you had and the discipline you had, so for me I think I have shown them that nothing is impossible. Everything is possible with a matter of time. It’s something not to be forgotten, something to be remembered, and it will remain in my mind forever.”
In an exhilarating display, Sawe ran the second half of the marathon in 59 minutes and 1 second. He pulled clear with Kejelcha after 30 kilometers and made his solo break in the final two kilometers, sprinting along the finish on The Mall.
Tim Vincent was the top Australian, finishing 17th and falling one second short of matching his personal best of 2:09:41. Liam Boudin placed six spots behind in 2:12:55.
A record was also set in the women’s race, with Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa pulling away with about 500 meters remaining to win in 2:15:41, defending her title with the fastest time recorded in a women’s-only marathon. However, it was 16 seconds slower than the course record set by Paula Radcliffe in 2003 when it was a mixed race.
In the wheelchair races, Switzerland achieved a double victory. Marcel Hug powered to his sixth consecutive men’s title — and eighth overall — while Catherine Debrunner beat Tatyana McFadden in a close finish to defend her title.
