Sabastian Sawe declared that 'nothing is impossible' after making history as the first athlete to break the two-hour barrier in an official marathon competition, winning the London Marathon in a world record time of one hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds.
Historic Achievement in London
The Kenyan defended his 2025 London Marathon title on Sunday, crossing the finish line ahead of debutant Yomif Kejelcha by 11 seconds. The Ethiopian runner-up also ran a sub-two-hour time of one hour, 59 minutes and 41 seconds, while Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo finished third in two hours, 28 seconds. All three athletes surpassed the previous official world record of two hours, 35 seconds set by the late Kelvin Kiptum in 2023. Sawe's time was also 10 seconds faster than the unofficial one hour, 59 minutes and 40 seconds achieved by Eliud Kipchoge in a 2019 exhibition race.
'I think I've made history today in London, and for the new generation (it shows) to run a record is possible,' Sawe said. 'It depends on the preparation you had and the discipline you had, so for me I think I have shown them that nothing is impossible. Everything is possible with a matter of time.'
Preparation and Commitment to Clean Sport
Sawe credited his rigorous preparation for the landmark performance. 'I was ready today. I was well-prepared for the London Marathon and for today's results. I'm so happy because I had a lot of courage to push, even when the pace was fast. It's something not to be forgotten, something to be remembered, and it will remain in my mind forever.'
London Marathon Events CEO Hugh Brasher hailed the achievement as potentially the greatest sporting moment of the 21st century. 'It is, without doubt, the greatest day in London Marathon history. People said that Sir Roger Bannister's mile was the greatest sporting moment of the 20th century. Is this the greatest sporting moment of the 21st century? I don't know, but it was just brilliant.'
Sawe and Kejelcha both wore the 97-gram Adidas Pro Evo 3s, which Sawe had predicted could be record-breaking footwear. The 31-year-old has been proactive in proving his races are clean, volunteering with his team at Adidas for a strict regime of 25 unannounced extra drug tests before winning the Berlin Marathon last year.
Kejelcha praised Sawe's commitment to clean sport. 'It's very important for clean sport. Maybe I, for the future, will do the same thing. I think it's a great idea.'
Women's Race Also Sets Record
In the women's race, Tigst Assefa defended her London Marathon crown in a women's-only world record of two hours, 15 minutes and 41 seconds, subject to ratification. Assefa beat the standard she set last year, outsprinting Kenya's Hellen Obiri (2:15:53) and Joyciline Jepkosgei (2:15:55) in a thrilling finish.
'Today's competition was very special because of the way I finished,' said Assefa. 'I've been working on my speed, and today I showed how fast I could finish, and that's why today was a very special win for me. When I finished the race and found out Sabastian had broken the world record and gone under two hours I was so, so happy for him. To break world records requires a lot of work, and I want to congratulate him on his wonderful achievement.'
