Sebastian Sawe to face Kiplimo, Cheptegei in star-studded London Marathon in April
Reigning champion Sebastian Sawe will spearhead Kenya’s challenge at the 2026 London Marathon on April 26, 2026, lining up against a deep international field as he bids to defend his title.
Sawe enjoyed a 2025 season, storming to double victories in the London and Berlin courses, and will seek to stretch his unbeaten run in the long-distance race.
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The performance earned him a spot among the best athletes of the year, earning him the World Athletics Best Male Outdoor Athlete of the Year.
Formidable presence
He will be joined by 2022 London Marathon champion Amos Kipruto and two-time New York City Marathon winner Geoffrey Kamworor, giving Kenya a formidable presence in the men’s race.
The Kenyan team will face strong opposition from Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo and his compatriot Joshua Cheptegei, with Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha also set to complete the star-studded list with his debut on the cards.
Others in the list are Tamirat Tola and Amanal Petros.
The Kenyan, who developed his base as a short tracker and cross-country athlete, made his big breakthrough while running in the 2022 Seville half-marathon as a hired pacer.
Sawe innocuously went on to win the race, crossing the finish line in 59:02 and setting a course record in only his first-ever half-marathon.
Fast forward to 2024. Sawe toed the line at the Valencia Marathon for his debut of over 42.195 kilometers.
In front of curious observers, the athlete stormed to victory with one of the fastest marathon debuts in history, clocking 2:02:05.
He made a successful debut in the London course in 2025, obliterating the field that included Jacob Kiplimo with a time of 2:02:27 to affirm his now elite-level consistency.
He followed his impressive performance with a course record in the Berlin Marathon in September 2025, wiping off some seconds from his previous time to clock an impressive time of 2:02:16, under warm conditions that reached 25°C.
Women’s field
The women’s field will also see a constellation of stars, with defending champion Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia and Olympic champion Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands among those confirmed.
Assefa, who lost to Peres Jepchirchir in the 2025 World Athletics marathon in Tokyo, will renew rivalry with the Kenyan once again.
The line-up also features 2021 London Marathon champion Joyciline Jepkosgei and two-time Boston and New York Marathon winner Hellen Obiri.
