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World Athletics officially ratifies Sebastian Sawe’s sub-2-hour marathon record
23rd July, 2026 08:34 PM
World Athletics has ratified Sabastian Sawe’s record-breaking marathon time of 1:59:30, set at the London Marathon in April 2026.
The 31-year-old road running star became the first man to officially break the two-hour barrier in a record-eligible marathon. Clocking 1:59:30 on April 26, 2026, Sawe dipped 65 seconds off the previous world record of 2:00:35, set by the late Kelvin Kiptum in Chicago on October 8, 2023.
The Kenyan marathoner saw his name entered in the next edition of the Guinness Book of World Records afterwards and has since seen his achievement recognised by the World Athletics governing body.
Sawe’s mark was ratified alongside seven other senior world records and one world U20 record set during the first five months of 2026.
In addition to retaining their respective titles at the London Marathon on 26 April, Sawe and Ehtiopia’s Tigst Assefa produced world-record performances in the men’s and women’s races.
Assefa successfully defended her title in 2:15:41, taking nine seconds off the women-only world record of 2:15:50 that she set in London on 27 April 2025.
The Ethiopian gradually broke clear of Kenya’s Hellen Obiri and Joyciline Jepkosgei during the closing stages. Obiri finished second in a PB of 2:15:53, and Jepkosgei was third in 2:15:55, marking the first time three women had broken 2:16 in the same race.
Sawe became the first man to break two hours in a record-eligible marathon, clocking 1:59:30 to take 65 seconds off the world record of 2:00:35 set by the late Kelvin Kiptum in Chicago on 8 October 2023.
The historic race in London also featured remarkable performances behind the winner: Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha finished second with the fastest debut marathon time in history, while Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo took third with the third-fastest full marathon time ever.
Other than Sawe’s and Assefa’s records, the latest batch of ratified marks also includes the world short track 4x800m record set by USA’s Clay Pender (1:49.69), Luke Houser (1:47.47), Luciano Fiore (1:47.35) and Sean Dolan (1:45.79) at the Penn Classic in Philadelphia on 6 February.
