LONDON — Sabastian Sawe of Kenya became the first runner to finish a marathon in under two hours, shattering the men’s world record in a landmark moment for the sport. Sawe won the London Marathon in 1:59:30, beating the previous mark by 65 seconds.
Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha finished second in his marathon debut, also dipping under two hours with a time of 1:59:41. Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo crossed the line in 2:00:28, which was seven seconds faster than the prior world record set by Kenya’s Kelvin Kiptum in Chicago in 2023.
The 29-year-old Sawe, who successfully defended his London title, credited the vast crowds along the route for their support and dedicated the achievement to the people of the city. He ran a remarkable second half in 59:01, moved away from Kejelcha after the 30-kilometer mark, and then broke clear in the final two kilometers to sprint down The Mall to the finish.
In the women’s race, Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa retained her title, pulling away in the final 500 meters to win in 2:15:41. Her time is the fastest ever recorded in a women-only marathon, and sits 16 seconds behind Paula Radcliffe’s course record set in 2003 during a mixed race.
Swiss athletes completed a double in the wheelchair events. Marcel Hug captured his sixth straight London men’s wheelchair title and eighth overall, while Catherine Debrunner narrowly defeated Tatyana McFadden to successfully defend her women’s wheelchair crown.