The sporting world stood still on Sunday as Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe shattered the limits of human endurance at the 2026 London Marathon.
By crossing the finish line in a staggering 1:59:30, Sawe became the first person to record a sub-two-hour marathon in an official race, etching his name into history with a new men’s world record..
The remarkable run erased 35 seconds from the previous benchmark held by the late Kelvin Kiptum, who posted 2:00:35 at the 2023 Chicago Marathon.
Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha stayed locked in close pursuit for much of the 42.195-kilometre distance before fading late, finishing second on his marathon debut in 1:59:41.
Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo took the bronze medal with a time of 2:02:28.
Sawe made his decisive solo break in the final two kilometres, surging down The Mall past Buckingham Palace to seal the win.
“I saw the time and I was so excited,” he said afterwards.
“First of all I want to thank the crowds. They helped a lot. You feel so happy and strong and pushing,” Sawe added.
“What comes for me today is not for me alone but all of us in London.”
In the women’s elite race, Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa successfully defended her title, stopping the clock at 2:15:41 to break her own record from the 2025 London Marathon.
The 29-year-old pulled clear of Kenya’s Hellen Obiri and Joyciline Jepkosgei in the closing stages to cross the line first.
Obiri claimed second place in 2:15:53, while Jepkosgei took bronze with 2:15:55.
Assefa’s winning time, however, fell 16 seconds short of the course record set by Paula Radcliffe in 2003 when the event was still mixed-gender.
Switzerland’s Marcel Hug dominated the men’s wheelchair race, claiming his sixth consecutive London title and eighth victory overall.
In the women’s wheelchair event, fellow Swiss athlete Catherine Debrunner outsprinted American Tatyana McFadden to secure her third successive win in the British capital.
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