Kenyan Sawe breaks 2-hour barrier to win London Marathon

Kenyan runner Sabastian Sawe won the London Marathon on Sunday in 1:59:30, becoming the first person in history to break the two-hour barrier in an official marathon race.

The feat, reported by The Korea Times, erases the previous world record of 2:00:35 — set by fellow Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum at the 2023 Chicago Marathon — by 65 seconds, the largest single improvement to the men's marathon world record in decades.

Sawe, 29, ran the second half of the course in 59 minutes and 1 second, pulling clear of Ethiopian Yomif Kejelcha after the 30-kilometer mark before making a decisive solo break in the final two kilometers, sprinting down The Mall to the finish line, according to The Korea Times.

Kejelcha also broke the barrier, crossing the line in 1:59:41 in what was his debut marathon. Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo placed third in 2:00:28 — a time that would itself have beaten Kiptum's now-superseded world record by seven seconds.

"What comes today is not for me alone, but for all of us today in London," Sawe said after the race.

In the women's division, Ethiopian Tigst Assefa won in 2:15:41, the fastest time recorded in a women's-only marathon. The mark falls 16 seconds short of Paula Radcliffe's 2003 London course record of 2:15:25, which was set in a mixed-field race.

Marcel Hug of Switzerland claimed his sixth consecutive men's wheelchair title and eighth overall. Catherine Debrunner, also Swiss, defended her women's wheelchair crown in a close finish over Tatyana McFadden.

Sawe, who was defending his London Marathon title, now holds both the world record and the distinction of being the only person to run an official marathon in under two hours.