Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe has become the first man to run a marathon in under two hours after winning the London Marathon in 1:59:30.

Sawe stole the limelight in a huge moment in sporting history as he broke the two-hour barrier, shattering the world record previously held by his late compatriot Kelvin Kiptum, who set a time of 2:00:35 at the Chicago Marathon in October 2023.

The 31-year-old, who has never lost a marathon, smashed the world record by 65 seconds.

Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia stayed on Sawe’s heels for most of the 42.195km course before fading down the final stretch to take second in his marathon debut with 1:59:41, while Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda won bronze in 2:02:28.

All three finished under Kiptum’s previous record time.

“We started the race well, and at the end of the race, I was feeling strong,” said Sawe.

“Finally, reaching the finishing line, I saw the time, and I was so excited to see I had run a world record today.

“I was very prepared because coming to London for the second time was so important to me, and that’s why I prepared well for it.”