Kenyan runner Sebastian Sawe achieved a historic feat at the London Marathon. Running the full 42.195 kilometers in 1 hour, 59 minutes, and 30 seconds, Sawe became the first athlete in conditions of routine competition to break the two-hour barrier.
At 31 years old, Sawe not only set a new benchmark but also fell short of Kelvin Kiptum’s official world record, which he clocked at 2:00:45 during the 2023 Chicago event. Although Eliud Kipchoge, also Kenyan, set a time of 1:59:40.2 in Vienna on October 12, 2019, under lab conditions, Sawe surpassed even that mark.
Furthermore, Sawe’s achievement was a remarkable milestone for marathon running, as the silver medalist, Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia, also remained under the two-hour barrier with a time of 1:59:41. These two performances mean that two runners succeeded at the London Marathon in achieving a time previously thought unattainable.
