The London Marathon has made history as Sabastian Sawe became the first man to break the two-hour barrier, clocking an incredible time of 1:59:30 on Sunday. The Kenyan athlete shattered the mythical mark, surpassing the previous record of 2:00:35 set by the late Kelvin Kiptum at the Chicago Marathon in 2023.
In a stunning display of endurance, Yomif Kejelcha also dipped under two hours, finishing second with a time of 1:59:40 after pushing Sawe for much of the race. The two runners steadily increased their pace after the 30km mark, completing the second half in just 59 minutes. Sawe covered the 30-35km segment in 13:53 and the 35-40km segment in 13:47, demonstrating an awe-inspiring performance that finally erased the myth of the two-hour barrier.
The women’s race also delivered a world record, as Tigst Assefa stormed to victory in 2:15:40. The Ethiopian star launched a devastating acceleration in the final stages, leaving rivals Hellen Obiri and Joyciline Jepkosgei behind to claim her place in history.
London Marathon
Athletics