Kenya’s Sawe is world’s first man to run a sub-two-hour marathon in London

Sabastian Sawe breaks Kelvin Kiptum’s erstwhile satellite grounds of 2:00:35; Ethiopia’s Assefa retains her women’s crown.

Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe has go the archetypal antheral to tally a marathon successful nether 2 hours, winning the London Marathon successful 1:59:30.

Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa defended her London Marathon crown connected Sunday, breaking her ain satellite record.

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However, it was Sawe who stole the limelight successful a immense infinitesimal successful sporting past arsenic helium broke the two-hour barrier, shattering the satellite grounds antecedently held by his precocious compatriot Kelvin Kiptum, who acceptable a clip of 2:00:35 astatine the Chicago Marathon successful October 2023.

The 31-year-old, who has ne'er mislaid a marathon, smashed the satellite grounds by 65 seconds.

Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia stayed connected Sawe’s heels for astir of the 42.195km people earlier fading down the last agelong to instrumentality 2nd successful his marathon debut with 1:59:41, portion Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda won bronze successful 2:02:28.

All 3 finished nether Kiptum’s erstwhile grounds time.

“We started the contention well, and astatine the extremity of the race, I was feeling strong,” said Sawe.

“Finally, reaching the finishing line, I saw the time, and I was truthful excited to spot I had tally a satellite grounds today.

“I was precise prepared due to the fact that coming to London for the 2nd clip was truthful important to me, and that’s wherefore I prepared good for it.”

Kiptum died successful a car clang successful Kenya successful 2024, aged 24 years.

In the women’s race, Assefa retained her winning place.

The reigning Olympic and satellite metallic medallist was locked successful a three-way tussle with Kenyan brace Hellen Obiri and Joyciline Jepkosgei but pulled distant successful the closing stages to transverse the enactment successful 2:15:41.

That clip bushed her erstwhile best, acceptable connected the aforesaid people past year, by 9 seconds.

Obiri, a two-time erstwhile satellite 5,000m champion who won marathon bronze astatine the 2024 Paris Olympics, came successful 2nd successful a idiosyncratic champion of 2:15:53.

She finished conscionable two-hundredths of a 2nd up of compatriot Jepkosgei.

The satellite grounds acceptable successful a mixed race, wherever pistillate athletes payment from antheral pacemakers, was by Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich, who clocked 2:09:56 astatine the Chicago Marathon successful October 2024.

Chepngetich was fixed a three-year doping prohibition past October, though achievements and records pre-dating the March 2025 illustration stand.

Switzerland’s Marcel Hug and Catherine Debrunner won the men’s and women’s wheelchair events. Hug won for the sixth consecutive twelvemonth and eighth overall, portion Debrunner outsprinted American Tatyana McFadden to the decorativeness for her 3rd triumph successful a enactment successful London.

Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa crosses the enactment to triumph the women’s contention [Justin Tallis/AFP]