Sawe Runs 1:59:30 in London, First Sub-2-Hour Record-Eligible Marathon, as Assefa Also Breaks World Record
On April 26, 2026, at the TCS London Marathon, Kenya's Sabastian Sawe won in 1:59:30, becoming the first man to break two hours in a record-eligible marathon.
World Athletics, in its later announcement ratifying the record, said Sawe took 65 seconds off the previous world record of 2:00:35 set by Kelvin Kiptum in Chicago in 2023. Sawe made his decisive move with one mile remaining; Ethiopia's Yomif Kejelcha was second in 1:59:41, also under two hours, and Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo was third in 2:00:28, with all three inside the old record.
The women's race also produced a world record: Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa defended her title in 2:15:41, taking nine seconds off her own women-only world record. Hellen Obiri was second in 2:15:53 and Joyciline Jepkosgei third in 2:15:55, the first time three women had broken 2:16 in the same race, World Athletics said.
Source: World Athletics
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：Sabastian Sawe（资料照片，2025年柏林马拉松）。Leonhard Lenz 摄，CC0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Sabastian Sawe (file photo, 2025 Berlin Marathon). Photo by Leonhard Lenz, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
