Meet 'silent assassin' Sebastian Sawe who has broken Kelvin Kiptum's record

Kenyan marathoner Sebastian Sawe delivered one of the greatest performances in athletics history on Sunday, clocking 1:59:30 to win the London Marathon and become the first athlete to run an official marathon in under two hours.

The landmark time not only secured victory but also shattered the men’s marathon world record, cutting 65 seconds off the previous mark of 2:00:35 set by fellow Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum at the Chicago Marathon in 2023.

Run under favourable conditions on the streets of London, Sawe maintained an aggressive, record-chasing pace from the early stages, supported by pacemakers before taking control in the latter part of the race.

The elite men’s field was among the strongest assembled this year, featuring Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha and Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo. 

Both athletes also delivered exceptional performances, with Kejelcha finishing second in 1:59:41, also under two hours, while Kiplimo placed third in 2:00:28, a time that would have broken the previous world record on any other day.

As the pacemakers dropped off, Sawe sustained the relentless tempo alone, pushing through the final kilometres to dip under the two-hour barrier, a feat long considered the ultimate frontier in marathon running.

The sub-two-hour marathon has been one of sport’s most elusive targets. While Eliud Kipchoge famously ran 1:59:40 during the INEOS 1:59 Challenge in 2019, that effort was not eligible as an official world record due to controlled conditions.

Sawe’s run in London, however, was achieved in a standard race setting, making it the first officially recognised sub-two-hour marathon in history.

The magnitude of the performance is underlined by the scale of improvement. Cutting more than a minute off a world record at this level is rare, and doing so while breaking a symbolic barrier marks a generational leap in endurance running.

Sawe’s achievement further cements Kenya’s dominance in marathon running, extending a legacy built by legends such as Kipchoge and Kiptum.

It also signals a new era in the sport, where the limits of human performance are being pushed beyond what was previously thought possible.

The 2026 London race may be remembered as a turning point, not only because of the record but also due to the depth of elite performances, with multiple athletes running times that would have been historic in previous years.

Before this breakthrough, Sawe, also known as the silent assassin, had already established himself as one of the fastest rising names in long-distance running.

The 29-year-old won the London Marathon in 2025 with a time of 2:02:27 and claimed victories at major races, including the Valencia Marathon (2:02:05) and Berlin Marathon (2:02:16).

He also built a strong reputation on the roads and track, posting elite times across distances and steadily positioning himself as a future contender for the world record.

Sunday’s performance, however, marks a defining moment in his career, elevating him from elite competitor to a record-breaking figure in global sport.