Sabasitan Sawe shattered a world record by winning the London Marathon in less than two hours on Sunday, finishing with a time of 1:59:30
Sabastian Sawe has smashed a long-standing marathon world record as he crossed the finish line at the London Marathon in 1:59:30. The Kenyan surpassed the previous record of 2:00:35 held by the late Kelvin Kiptum, claiming victory for the second consecutive year.
It represents a substantial improvement on last year’s time of 2:02:27. The elite men’s race ultimately came down to a thrilling finale between Sawe and Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha.
Yet Sawe eventually pulled away from his challenger as they approached the final few hundred metres, securing his place in the record books. Kejelcha also finished in under two hours to claim second place, underlining just how tight the contest was between the pair.
The stunning display from Sawe left Olympic silver medallist Steve Cram speechless. He told the BBC: “Come on Sabastian Sawe!
“History in the making. Nobody has ever done this. They said it couldn’t be done. A historic performance.
“Incredible. I have never seen anything like that. That, you would say, is unbelievable. But we have just seen it. Lost for words, genuinely.”
He added: “There are things that happen in sport where you want to be there to see it: Roger Bannister, the first ever four-minute mile.”
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“Those who were there on that day still tell that story today. We did say it was a day for records. The world will never be the same again.”
Paula Radcliffe, meanwhile, claimed that the achievement will “reverberate around the world,” as she was left stunned by Sawe’s display.
Ahead of this year’s race, 30-year-old Sawe was quizzed about his prospects of smashing the record, as well as whether his Adidas Pro Evo 3s shoes were world record standard. His response was simply: “Yep.”
Speaking following his triumph, Sawe said: “I saw the time and I was so excited,” adding: “First of all I want to thank the crowds. They help a lot. They helped a lot. You feel so happy and strong and pushing. What comes for me today is not for me alone but all of us in London.”
It comes as records tumbled in the women’s elite race too, with Tigst Assefa charging to victory for the second consecutive year. The Ethiopian clocked a time of 2:15:41, slicing nine seconds off her time from last year’s event which had been a women’s London Marathon record.
Hellen Obiri and Joyciline Jepkosgei – both from Kenya – claimed second and third place, respectively. In the wheelchair competitions, Switzerland’s Marcel Hug secured the men’s title for the sixth successive year.
It marked his eighth triumph at the event in total, matching the record established by David Weir. Catherine Debrunner, also from Switzerland, successfully retained her crown in the women’s wheelchair race.