Record-breaker Sawe wins London Marathon in under two hours

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

>Sabastian Sawe of Kenya smashed the men's world record by winning the 2026 London Marathon in 1 hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds on Sunday.

>His incredible run wiped 35 seconds off the previous record held by the late Kelvin Kiptum, who ​set a time ​of ​2:00:35 at the 2023 Chicago Marathon.

>Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia stayed on Sawe's heels over much of the ​42.195-kilometre course before fading down the final ⁠stretch to take second ⁠in his marathon debut with 1:59.41, while Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda took the ‌bronze in 2:02.28.

>"I saw the time and I was so excited," Sawe, who made a solo break in the final two kilometres as he sprinted down The Mall past Buckingham Palace, told BBC Sport.

>"First of all I want to thank the crowds. They helped a lot. You feel so happy and strong and pushing.

>"What comes for me today is not for me alone but all of us in London."

>Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia retained the women's title with a time of 2:15:41 breaking her own record from last year's London Marathon.

>The 29-year-old pulled away from Kenyans Hellen Obiri and Joyciline Jepkosgei down ⁠the home stretch to cross the ​finish line in 2:15.41 seconds, beating the ​record of 2:15.50 she set last year ​in London.

>That, however, was 16 seconds slower than the course record set by Paula Radcliffe in 2003 when it was a mixed race.

>Obiri was second in 2:15.53, while Jepkosgei ⁠took the bronze in 2:15.55.

>Switzerland's Marcel Hug and Catherine Debrunner won the men's and women's wheelchair events.

>Hug won for the sixth consecutive ​year and eighth overall, while Debrunner outsprinted ​American Tatyana McFadden to the finish for her third consecutive win in London.