Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe has stunned the athletics world in London after becoming the first man to complete a marathon in under two hours under legal conditions, clocking 1:59:30 to win the 2026 London Marathon on Sunday, April 26. Sawe’s performance broke the previous world record of 2:00:35 set by the late Kelvin Kiptum in 2023.
Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha followed just 11 seconds later in 1:59:41 to finish second, while Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo took third in 2:02:28. The race produced an extraordinary depth of performance, with the top finishers all going faster than the previous world record.
Sawe’s victory marks one of the most remarkable marathon performances in recent history, confirming his rise as one of the sport’s dominant road runners.
