Kenyan marathon runner Sabastian Sawe has set his sights on breaking the world record at the London Marathon on Sunday. The 28-year-old, known as the 'silent assassin', believes he is in similar shape to when he attempted the record in Berlin last September, only to be thwarted by high temperatures. The current men's world record stands at 2 hours and 35 seconds, set by Kelvin Kiptum in 2023.
Sawe will be equipped with Adidas's new Pro Evo 3 supershoe, which weighs just 96 grams and is reportedly faster than its predecessor. Asked whether the shoe could help him break Kiptum's course record of 2:01:25 or the world record, Sawe simply replied, 'Yes,' to laughter at a pre-race press conference.
His agent, Eric Lilot, confirmed that pacemakers are instructed to go through halfway in 60 minutes and 30 seconds, giving Sawe a chance at history, especially with tailwinds forecast for the final miles. Coach Claudio Berardelli added that Sawe has fully recovered from a stress fracture in his foot and a back injury that caused him to miss ten days of training in December.
Berardelli, who has coached in Kenya for over 20 years, described Sawe as 'a different human being' and 'an outlier', noting that the runner has completed only four marathons and has more potential. However, Sawe faces a strong field including Jacob Kiplimo, who shattered the half-marathon world record last month, Olympic champion Tamirat Tola, and debutant Yomif Kejelcha.
Kiplimo, who finished second to Sawe in London last year, said he has increased his mileage and is better prepared. 'We will see on Sunday, but I know we are going to battle together,' he added. British interest is dampened by Emile Cairess's withdrawal due to injury, but Patrick Dever, Phil Sesemann, and Mohamed Mohamed will compete.
In the women's race, defending champion Tigst Assefa and Hellen Obiri are expected to duel, with Joyciline Jepkosgei as a potential challenger. The London Marathon takes place on Sunday.
