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Kenya’s Sawe Shatters Marathon Record: First Sub-2 Hour Finish

Kenyan runner Sabastian Sawe made history by winning the 2026 London Marathon with a world record time of 1:59:30, becoming the first athlete to run a marathon under two hours in a competitive race. Ethiopia's Yomif Kejelcha also finished under two hours, taking second place in 1:59:41. Sawe broke the previous record held by Kelvin Kiptum, who ran 2:00:35 in the 2023 Chicago Marathon. In the women's race, Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia broke her own world record with a time of 2:15:41.

Key Points: Sabastian Sawe Sets World Marathon Record Under 2 Hours

  • Sabastian Sawe wins 2026 London Marathon in 1:59:30
  • First athlete to run under 2 hours in a competitive race
  • Ethiopia's Yomif Kejelcha also dips under 2 hours, taking second place
  • Tigst Assefa breaks her own women's world record in 2:15:41
2 min read

Kenya's Sabastian Sawe sets new world marathon record, becomes first to run under 2 hours

Kenyan runner Sabastian Sawe breaks the marathon barrier, finishing the 2026 London Marathon in 1:59:30, becoming the first to run under two hours.

"conquering something that was considered almost impossible for decades - Olympics.com"

London, April 26

Kenyan runner Sabastian Sawe broke a world record by becoming the first athlete to run a marathon in under two hours in a competitive race.

Sawe won the 2026 London Marathon clocking a time of 1:59:30 and conquering something that was considered almost impossible for decades.

The Kenyan finished the 42.2-kilometre course in 1:59:30, with Ethiopia's Yomif Kejelcha also dipping under two hours to take second place, reported Olympics.com. Kejelecha finished in 1:59:41 to take second place and join Sawe in the sub-two-hour club.

The two-hour men's marathon barrier had never been broken under legal conditions before the 2026 London Marathon, the site reported

The 31-year-old Sawe broke the previous world record, held by the late athlete Kelvin Kiptum, who finished the Chicago Marathon in the year 2023 with a time 2:00:35.

The third place was clinched by Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo claimed third in 2:00:28.

The path of the race started in Greenwich Park and heads through the streets of London before finishing on The Mall near Buckingham Palace.

Meanwhile, Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia broke her own women's-only world record at the London Marathon, winning in 2:15:41 to better her record of 2:15:50 from last year, Runner's World reported.

Hellen Obiri of Kenya was runner-up in 2:15:53, and her compatriot Joyciline Jepkosgei rounded out the podium in third, clocking 2:15:55, the

- ANI

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Priya S
Incredible achievement! But let's not forget Tigst Assefa breaking her own women's record too - 2:15:41 is mind-blowing. The East African dominance in long-distance running is no coincidence. It's about genetics, altitude training, and sheer determination. We need to study their methods and apply them in our own athletics programs.
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Karan T
As someone who runs half-marathons in India, this is both inspiring and humbling. Running 42.2 km in under 2 hours means maintaining 2:50 per km pace. That's faster than my 100m sprint! Meanwhile, our Indian marathoners are still struggling to break 2:10. Ground reality check: we need better sports science and funding at grassroots level.
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Arun Y
Amazing performance by Sawe and Kejelcha! But I have a small concern - the London Marathon course is known to be fast and slightly downhill in parts. Should we consider this truly 'legal'? Either way, it's a phenomenal achievement. Makes our local 10k races feel like a walk in the park! 😄
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Naveen S
While I applaud this achievement, I can't help but think about all the doping controversies in athletics. Hope everything is above board here. Having said that, if clean, this is probably the greatest athletic feat of the decade. Now our Indian athletes need something like this to inspire a generation - maybe in cricket we're world beaters, but in athletics we have a long way to go. 🇮🇳
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Sarah B
It's surreal to think that just a few years ago, sub-

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