Kenya’s Sawe is world’s first man to run a sub-two-hour marathon in London | Athletics

Sbastien Savay broke Kelvin Kiptum’s previous world record of 2:00:35; Ethiopia’s Assefa retained her women’s title.

Kenya’s Sebastian Sawe has become the first man to run a marathon in under two hours by winning the London Marathon in 1:59:30.

Ethiopia’s Tigaste Assefa defended her London Marathon title on Sunday, breaking her own world record.

However, it was Savay who grabbed the headlines in a big moment in the history of the sport as he broke the two-hour barrier, breaking the world record set by his late compatriot Kelvin Kiptum, who had set a time of 2:00:35 at the Chicago Marathon in October 2023.

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

Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha trailed Sawe for most of the 42.195 km course and fell in the final stages to finish 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 was feeling strong,” Savay said.

“Finally, reaching the finishing line, I looked at the time, and I was very excited to see that I had set a world record today.

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

Kiptom died at the age of 24 in a car accident in Kenya in 2024.

Assefa maintained her winning position in the women’s race.

The reigning Olympic and World silver medalists were locked in a three-way tie with Kenyan pair Helen Obiri and Joycelyn Jepkosgei but managed to cross the line in 2:15:41 in the final stage.

That time beat his previous best, set last year on the same course, by nine seconds.

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

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

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

Chepangetich was handed a three-year doping ban last October, although the achievements and records date 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 consecutive year and eighth overall, while Debrunner overtook American Tatyana McFadden with her third consecutive win in London.