Kenya's Sabastian Sawe on Sunday shattered one of the most elusive barriers in athletics, becoming the first man to dip below the two-hour mark in the marathon.

Sawe, sporting state-of-the-art running shoes and spurred on by second-placed Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia, clocked a barely believable 1hr 59min 30sec to retain his London crown.

It shattered by 65 seconds the previous best of 2:00:35 set in Chicago in 2023 by the late Kelvin Kiptum.

"To break the world record is something I have dreamed about for a long time, and to achieve it means so much to me and to the sport of running," Sawe said.

"It reflects the hard work behind the scenes, the support of my team, and the role of innovation in helping me push beyond limits. I'm honoured to be part of a new chapter for the sport."

He thanked people on the packed streets of London for giving him an extra boost on Sunday.

"I want to thank the crowds for cheering us. I think they help a lot, because if it was not for them, you don't feel like you are so loved," he said. (AFP)


Edited by Priscilla Ng