Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe has received official recognition from World Athletics after his remarkable performance at the 2026 London Marathon was confirmed as the new men’s marathon world record.
The governing body’s ratification means Sawe’s time of 1 hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds now stands as the fastest marathon ever run under official competition rules, making him the first athlete to legally break the two-hour barrier in a world record-eligible race.
Sawe produced the historic performance in London on April 26, slicing 65 seconds off the previous world record of 2:00:35, which had been set by the late Kelvin Kiptum during the 2023 Chicago Marathon.
The race itself delivered one of the strongest marathon fields in history. Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha also finished inside two hours with 1:59:41, while Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo crossed the line in 2:00:28 to complete the podium.
The official approval from World Athletics confirms that Sawe’s performance satisfied all technical requirements needed for record recognition, including a certified course, standard race conditions and anti-doping procedures.
His achievement also settles a milestone that has fascinated distance running for years. Although fellow Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge became the first person to cover the marathon distance in under two hours with a time of 1:59:40 during the INEOS Challenge in Vienna in 2019, that effort was staged under controlled conditions using rotating pacemakers and other assistance that made it ineligible for official record status.
Sawe’s London victory therefore becomes the first sub-two-hour marathon to be recognised in the official record books.
The Kenyan’s record was among eight world records recently approved by World Athletics from performances achieved during the opening months of the 2026 season.
London also witnessed another record-breaking display in the women’s race, where Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa successfully defended her title in 2:15:41, improving her own women-only world best. Kenya’s Hellen Obiri and Joyciline Jepkosgei completed the podium after both produced impressive performances.
For Kenya, Sawe’s feat adds another milestone to the country’s rich tradition of producing world-class marathon champions and cements his place among the sport’s all-time greats.
