Sport has just written one of its greatest pages. On Sunday, 26 April 2026, on the course of the TCS London Marathon, Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe<\/strong> made history by crossing the finish line in 1:59:30<\/strong> \u2014 becoming the first human being to run an official marathon in under two hours<\/strong>. Behind him, Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha (1:59:41) also broke the mythical barrier, and Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo (2:00:28) finished under the previous world record. All three are faster than Kelvin Kiptum’s record of 2:00:35 (Chicago, 2023). In the women’s race, Tigst Assefa<\/strong> shattered her own women’s-only world record with a time of 2:15:41<\/strong> \u2014 in a three-way sprint finish for the ages. An edition that now belongs to the history of world sport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u26a0\ufe0f World records are subject to World Athletics ratification procedures.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n For decades, running an official marathon in under two hours seemed to belong to the realm of dreams. Eliud Kipchoge had achieved it in 1:59:40 in Vienna in 2019, but under non-ratifiable conditions (the INEOS 1:59 Challenge) \u2014 no competition, with relay pacers synchronised to the centimetre. Kelvin Kiptum had come closest in a race environment with his 2:00:35 in Chicago in 2023 \u2014 before his tragic death in a car accident in February 2024. On Sunday, 26 April 2026, Sabastian Sawe accomplished what no athlete had ever done under real race conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The race played out as a group of six through the half marathon, reached in 1:00:29 \u2014 fractionally below the pace needed to break the world record (2:00:35). At 30km, just five seconds covered the six men. It was after the 35km mark that projections began suggesting the unthinkable: not just a world record, but a sub-two-hour finish. Sawe and Kejelcha accelerated together, pulling each other toward the impossible until the final kilometre, before Sawe surged alone to cross the line in 1:59:30<\/strong>. Eleven seconds later, Kejelcha also broke the magical mark in 1:59:41. Kiplimo, who dropped slightly in the closing kilometres, finished in 2:00:28 \u2014 also under the previous world record. Three men under the former world record in a single race: a moment sport may never see again.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTable of Contents<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Men’s Results \u2014 Sawe and the 2-Hour Barrier \u2b50\u2b50\u2b50<\/h2>\n\n\n\n