Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe breaks two-hour barrier at London Marathon

In a historic feat, two runners broke the sub-two-hour marathon mark at the London Marathon. Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe ran the 26.2 miles in 1:59:30 and smashed the men’s world record by 65 seconds.

Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha followed just 11 seconds later, also finishing under two hours in his marathon debut.

Sawe surged in the second half, clocking 59:01 and pulling away in the final kilometers. Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo secured third in 2:00:28, also faster than the previous record set by Kelvin Kiptum.

The sub-two-hour mark has long stood as one of athletics’ greatest barriers, comparable to the four-minute mile. While Eliud Kipchoge ran 1:59:40 in 2019, it did not count as an official record due to controlled conditions.

In the women’s race, Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa won in 2:15:41, setting the fastest-ever women-only marathon time and leading a historic podium sweep under 2:16.