Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe made history on Sunday at the London Marathon, becoming the first athlete to officially run a sub-two-hour marathon in a competitive race, clocking 1:59:30 to claim victory.

Sawe surged ahead of Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha in the closing stages, with Kejelcha also dipping under two hours in 1:59:41 during his marathon debut. Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo finished third in 2:00:28. All three runners broke the previous official world record of 2:00:35 set by Kelvin Kiptum in 2023.

Reacting after the race, Sawe said he felt strong throughout and was thrilled to see the historic time at the finish line, crediting his preparation for the performance.

Although Eliud Kipchoge famously ran 1:59:40 in 2019, that effort was not officially recognised as a world record due to controlled race conditions and pacing rules. Sawe’s feat, however, was achieved under standard competition regulations.

In the women’s race, Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa delivered another standout performance, winning in 2:15:41 and breaking her own women’s-only world record set on the same course last year.

Assefa pulled away from Kenya’s Hellen Obiri and Joyciline Jepkosgei in the final stretch. Obiri finished second in a personal best of 2:15:53, narrowly ahead of Jepkosgei.

Despite Assefa’s achievement, the overall women’s world record remains 2:09:56, set in a mixed race by Ruth Chepngetich at the Chicago Marathon in 2024.

The 46th edition of the London Marathon saw over 59,000 participants take part, with organisers considering expanding the event to two days in future editions to accommodate growing demand.

The race continues to be one of the world’s largest fundraising events, having raised a record £87.3 million for charity in 2025.