For optimal video playback, please use the Chrome browser. In a groundbreaking achievement, Sebastian Sawe of Kenya smashed the men's world record, completing the 2026 London Marathon in an impressive 1 hour, 59 minutes, and 30 seconds on Sunday. This extraordinary feat saw Sawe surpass the previous record, held by the late Kelvin Kiptum, by an astonishing 35 seconds.

Kiptum had set the record with a time of 2:00:35 at the 2023 Chicago Marathon. Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia closely trailed Sawe for much of the 42.195-kilometre course but eventually fell behind in the final stretch, securing second place in his marathon debut with a time of 1:59:41.

Meanwhile, Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda took the bronze medal with a time of 2:02:28. "This record shows the new generation that achieving greatness is possible," Sawe stated after making a solo break in the final two kilometres, sprinting past Buckingham Palace. "Everything is achievable with time. I was well-prepared for the London Marathon and today's outcome.

I'm thrilled because I had the courage to push myself, even when the pace was challenging." Kejelcha praised Sawe's commitment to clean racing, which included undergoing 25 voluntary drug tests before winning the Berlin Marathon. Kejelcha added, "It's crucial for clean sports.

Perhaps I'll follow suit in the future. I think it's an excellent idea." The two-hour barrier in marathon running has been a long-awaited milestone. Eliud Kipchoge, the renowned Kenyan long-distance athlete, achieved this feat in Vienna in 2019. However, this was in a specially designed race called the "1.59 Challenge," which was organised by British billionaire and Manchester United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe under favourable conditions on a six-mile circuit with rotating pacemakers.

As a result, Kipchoge's time of 1:59:40 was not officially recognised. Sawe surpassed this time by 10 seconds on a mostly flat course in London, under dry and sunny conditions.

"The goalposts have literally just moved for marathon running," commented former London marathon winner Paula Radcliffe during the BBC's coverage of the race. At the turn of the century, the world's best time for the men's marathon was 2:05:42, set by Khalid Khannouchi in Chicago in 1999.

Khannouchi broke his own record by four seconds in 2002, the last time the fastest men's marathon was run in London. Since then, the record has been gradually lowered over the past 24 years by a series of Kenyan and Ethiopian runners, including Haile Gebrselassie, Wilson Kipsang, Kipchoge, and most recently, Kiptum. Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia successfully defended her title, finishing with a time of 2:15:41 and breaking her own record from the previous year's London Marathon.

The 29-year-old pulled away from Kenyans Hellen Obiri and Joyciline Jepkosgei in the final stretch, crossing the finish line in 2:15:41, surpassing her previous record of 2:15:50 set in London last year. However, this was 16 seconds slower than the course record set by Paula Radcliffe in 2003, when it was a mixed race.

Obiri secured second place with a time of 2:15:53, while Jepkosgei took the bronze in 2:15:55. Switzerland's Marcel Hug and Catherine Debrunner emerged victorious in the men's and women's wheelchair events, respectively.

Hug claimed his sixth consecutive win and eighth overall, while Debrunner outsprinted American Tatyana McFadden to the finish, securing her third consecutive victory in London.