Overview
- Sawe’s 1:59:30 in London on Sunday made him the first man under two hours in official competition, with debutant Yomif Kejelcha at 1:59:41 and Jacob Kiplimo at 2:00:28, all faster than Kelvin Kiptum’s 2:00:35 record.
- Tigst Assefa won the women’s race in 2:15:41 to lower the women’s-only world record, outkicking Hellen Obiri and Joyciline Jepkosgei in the final stretch.
- Sawe, Kejelcha and Assefa wore Adidas’s new Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 shoes, launched April 25 and weighing about 97–99 grams, which meet World Athletics rules on general sale and stack height.
- The results are subject to World Athletics ratification after post-race doping-control and equipment checks, and Sawe has emphasized his frequent AIU testing in 2025 to underline clean sport.
- The breakthrough also eclipsed Eliud Kipchoge’s 2019 1:59:40 exhibition, which was not record-eligible because it used rotating pacemakers and a specially controlled format.