Kenyan smashes so-called "impossible barrier" with 1:59:30 as Yomif Kejelcha runs 1:59:41 on a day of remarkable results.

For years the sub-two-hour barrier for the marathon was described as “impossible”. Eliud Kipchoge then stunned the world by running 1:59:41 in a carefully constructed time trial in Vienna in 2019, but on a sun-drenched Sunday morning in London the Kenyan runner Sabastian Sawe has now smashed through two hours with a phenomenal 1:59:30.

Not only did he defend his London Marathon title, but he did so in emphatic style. "What a day to remember!" Sawe said.

Running a sub-two-hour marathon has been compared to Roger Bannister's feat of becoming the world's first sub-four-minute miler in 1954. It has also been likened to the first man to set foot on the moon. After Kipchoge's unratified run in an exhibition event seven years ago, it has now been done in a bona fide race too.

The news will reverberate around the world and will overshadow all of the other fine performances which were achieved on a historic day in the British capital.

These included runner-up Yomif Kejelcha breaking two hours with 1:59:41 – the Ethiopian going No.2 on the world all-time rankings on his debut at the distance. The 28-year-old is a former world indoor record-holder in the mile, too, but has moved up in distance with great success.

In third, Jacob Kiplimo was remarkably also inside Kelvin Kiptum’s world record of 2:00:35 with 2:00:28, while Mahamad Mahamed and Patrick Dever went No.2 and No.3 on the British all-time rankings with 2:06:14 and 2:06:18.

Just ahead of the two Brits, Peter Lynch set a big Irish record of 2:06:08. Tigist Assefa set a women-only world record of 2:15:41 in a terrific women’s race too.

All the attention will deservedly go to Sawe though. After passing halfway in 60:29 he blitzed the second half in a mind-boggling 59:01, breaking away with Kejelcha just before the 30km mark and pushing the pace in the latter stages with Kejelcha grimly hanging on to his heels before finally succumbing with around a mile to go. "I felt good until 41km," said Kejelcha. "Then my legs went."

Cynics will point to Sawe being from Kenya, a nation where drug-taking has been rife in recent years. But the 31-year-old has teamed up with his sponsor to embrace as many drugs tests as possible in the run-up to his races. “Doping is a cancer,” he insists, "and I am keen to prove I am clean."

Adidas spent an estimated $50,000 last year to help anti-doping authorities conduct as many tests as possible on Sawe and they have been following a similar plan in 2026. Many will still claim his sub-two-hour marathon is "unbelievable" but, if so, Sawe and his team will be wondering what else they can do to prove he is clean.

The same sponsor armed him with the new Adizero Adios Pro 3 – a shoe that is lighter than a new-born kitten – and this helped propel him around the 26.2 miles in a time that no one really expected this weekend, apart from Sawe himself perhaps.

Even Spencer Barden, who pulls together the elite fields in London, admitted he was expecting a women-only world record from Assefa but did not anticipate two men breaking two hours and three athletes inside the old world record.

Almost unnoticed in the world record excitement was fourth placed Amos Kipruto with 2:01:39, followed by Olympic champion Tamirat Tola in fifth with 2:02:59, Deresa Geleta in sixth with 2:03:23 and Addisu Gobena with 2:05:23.

It was a fine day for British men in London, although due to Sawe taking the world record into sub-two-hour territory there remains a gulf of several minutes between the leading domestic athletes and the world's best.

Mahamed and Dever placed 10th and 11th respectively, almost seven minutes behind Sawe. Next best Brits were Weynay Ghebresilasie with a big PB of 2:06:59 and Jack Rowe clocked 2:07:47.

Elsewhere, Tewelde Menges ran 2:10:48, Alfie Manthorpe 2:11:31, Jake Smith 2:12:19, Andrew Fyfe 2:12:36, Chris Perry 2:13:41, Alex Milne 2:13:51 and Dan Nash with 2:14:09.

Results

Men: 1 Sabastian Sawe (KEN) 1:59:30; 2 Yomif Kejelcha (ETH) 1:59:41; 3 Jacob Kiplimo (UGA) 2:00:28; 4 Amos Kipruto (KEN) 2:01:39; 5 Tamirat Tola (ETH) 2:02:59; 6 Deresa Geleta (ETH) 2:03:23; 7 Addisu Gobena (ETH) 2:05:23; 8 Geoffrey Kamworor (KEN) 2:05:38; 9 Peter Lynch (IRL) 2:06:08; 10 Mahamed Mahamed (GBR) 2:06:14

READ MORE: Sawe's road to success

Women: 1 Tigst Assefa (ETH) 2:15:41; 2 Hellen Obiri (KEN) 2:15:53; 3 Joyciline Jepkosgei (KEN) 2:15:55; 4 Degitu Azimeraw (ETH) 2:19:13; 5 Catherine Reline Amanang’ole (KEN) 2:21:20; 6 Eunice Chumba (BRN) 2:23:44; 7 Eilish McColgan (GBR) 2:24:51; 8 Julia Paternain (URU) 2:25:47; 9 Rose Harvey (GBR) 2:26:14; 10 Marta Galimany (ESP) 2:27:38

Sawe's splits:
5km - 14:14; 10km - 28:35; 15km - 43:10; 20km - 57:21; Half - 60:29; 25km - 71:41; 30km - 1:26:03; 35km - 1:39:57; 40km - 1:53:39; Finish - 1:59:30