Sabastian Sawe has broken through the human barrier. He even blew it up. The 29-year-old Kenyan became this Sunday the first athlete to run a marathon in less than two hours, in London, where he retained his title ahead of Ethiopian Yomif Kejelcha and Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo.
Sawe crossed the finish line in front of Buckingham Palace after 1 hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds and smashed the old world record set by Kelvin Kiptum of 2 hours, 1 minute and 25 seconds in April 2023, less than a year before he died in a car crash.
A decisive attack at the 30th kilometer
The craziest thing in this story? Sawen’s runner-up, Kejelcha also completed the 42,195 km in less than two hours (1h59:41), a performance all the more incredible as the half-marathon specialist was competing in the premier distance for the first time. Dingo.
Kiplimo (2h00:28), second last year for his first marathon, also achieved a better time than that established by Kiptum three years ago. Sawe was leading a group of six runners when he accelerated before the 30th kilometer. Only Kejelcha managed to stay alongside him, with Kiplimo a few meters behind.
Leave a Reply