Sabastian Sawe targets sub-1:59 marathon breakthrough

Sabastian Sawe has set his sights beyond the landmark he achieved in London, believing the marathon can be run in under one hour and 59 minutes. The Kenyan also sees the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics as an opportunity to produce a performance of lasting significance, although he accepts that patience will be needed as he works back to his best level.

Sawe became the first athlete to complete an official marathon in less than two hours when he raced in London on April 26. He had planned to compete in Berlin after announcing his participation in May, but a physical problem forced him to withdraw. He still travelled to the German capital, where he discussed the possibility of lowering his time below 1:59 if the weather, pace and his condition all align.

The Kenyan expects rivals to draw motivation from his achievement, highlighting Yomif Kejelcha as one athlete capable of challenging the mark at Valencia in December. He also said the future could bring even faster runners and does not believe the discipline has reached a fixed limit. Sawe wants extensive anti-doping testing to demonstrate that clean athletes can win, and backed Tigst Assefa to eventually surpass the disputed women’s marathon record after her Achilles injury disrupted a strong performance.