Sebastian Sawe breaks London Marathon record with first run under two hours | Athletics

Kenyan athlete breaks Kelvin Kiptum’s previous world record of 2:00:35; Ethiopia’s Assefa retains her women’s crown.

Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe became the first man to run a marathon in under two hours, winning the London Marathon in 1:59:30.

Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa defended her London Marathon crown on Sunday and broke her own world record.

However, it was Sawe who stole the limelight in a major moment in sporting history when he broke the two-hour mark and shattered the world record previously held by his late compatriot Kelvin Kiptum, who clocked a time of 2:00:35 at the Chicago Marathon in October 2023.

The 31-year-old, who has never lost a marathon, smashed the world record by 65 seconds.

Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha stayed on Sawe’s heels for most of the 42.195km course before fading down the final stretch to take second in his marathon debut in 1:59:41, while Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo won bronze in 2:02:28.

All three finished under Kiptum’s previous record time.

“We started the race well, and at the end of the race I felt strong,” said Sawe.

“Finally, when I reached the finish line, I saw the time, and I was so excited to see that I had run a world record today.

“I was very prepared, because coming to London for the second time was so important to me, and that’s why I prepared well for it.”

Kiptum died in a car accident in Kenya in 2024, aged 24.

In the women’s race, Assefa retained her winning place.

The reigning Olympic and world silver medalist was locked in a three-way battle with Kenyan pair Hellen Obiri and Joyciline Jepkosgei, but pulled away in the closing stages to cross the line in 2:15:41.

This time beat her previous best, which was set at the same course last year, by nine seconds.

Obiri, a two-time former 5,000m world champion who won marathon bronze at the 2024 Paris Olympics, came second in a personal best of 2:15:53.

She finished just two hundredths of a second ahead of compatriot Jepkosgei.

The world record set in a mixed race, where female athletes benefit from male pacers, was by Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich, who clocked 2:09:56 at the Chicago Marathon in October 2024.

Chepngetich was handed a three-year doping ban last October, despite performances and records dating back to the March 2025 sample.

Switzerland’s Marcel Hug and Catherine Debrunner won the men’s and women’s wheelchair events. Hug won for the sixth straight year and eighth overall, while Debrunner edged out American Tatyana McFadden to the finish for her third straight win in London.