Kenyan runner Sebastian Sawe achieved a historic milestone at the London Marathon. Covering the full 42.195 kilometers in a time of 1 hour, 59 minutes, and 30 seconds, Sawe became the first person, under standard race conditions, to successfully break the legendary two-hour barrier.
This phenomenal performance not only broke the existing world record held by Kelvin Kiptum, who completed the marathon in Chicago in 2023 with a time of 2:00:45. Kiptum, who sadly passed away in 2024, had previously set the official record. While Eliud Kipchoge, also from Kenya, had run 1:59:40.2 in Vienna on October 12, 2019, Sawe surpassed this time, which had been achieved under specialized laboratory conditions.
Adding to the unprecedented day, the runner who placed second, Yomed Kejelcha from Ethiopia, also achieved remarkable times, finishing in 1:59:41. Together, Sawe and Kejelcha helped mark the London Marathon as the venue where two athletes achieved a time previously thought unattainable in elite running competition.