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Sawe Breaks Two-Hour Barrier to Win London Marathon in World-Record 1:59:30

A new generation of super-light shoes features in the breakthrough, reviving scrutiny of technology in distance running.

Overview

  • Sabastian Sawe won Sunday’s London Marathon in 1:59:30, becoming the first athlete to officially complete a marathon in under two hours.
  • Yomif Kejelcha took second in 1:59:41 in his marathon debut, and Jacob Kiplimo was third in 2:00:28 to finish inside the previous world record.
  • Tigst Assefa won the women’s race in 2:15:41 to set a women’s-only world record as Hellen Obiri and Joyciline Jepkosgei followed in personal bests.
  • Sawe’s time cut 65 seconds from Kelvin Kiptum’s 2023 world record and even surpassed Eliud Kipchoge’s unratified 1:59:40 from a 2019 controlled event.
  • Sawe raced in Adidas’s new Pro Evo 3 shoe, and the performances will undergo World Athletics’ standard ratification and anti-doping review before they enter the record book.