Overview
- Sabastian Sawe won the London Marathon on Sunday in 1:59:30, becoming the first athlete to run an official marathon in under two hours.
- Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha finished second in 1:59:41 in his debut, and Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo was third in 2:00:28, both faster than Kelvin Kiptum’s 2:00:35 record from 2023.
- Tigst Assefa retained the women’s title in 2:15:41 to lower the women’s‑only world record, with Hellen Obiri and Joyciline Jepkosgei close behind in 2:15:53 and 2:15:55.
- Sawe and other podium finishers raced in Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 shoes with carbon plates and ultralight foam, a design allowed under World Athletics’ 2020 limits on shoe construction.
- The feat follows Eliud Kipchoge’s non‑homologated 1:59:40 exhibition in 2019 and, in what Sawe called “a historic day for me,” signals a new performance baseline that intensifies a high‑stakes battle between shoe brands.