Kenyan athlete Sabastian Sawe made history at the London Marathon on Sunday by becoming the first athlete to run a marathon in under two hours in a competitive race.
Sawe finished the race in 1 hour, 59 minutes, and 30 seconds, shattering the previously held men’s marathon world record, set by the late Kelvin Kiptum at the 2023 Chicago Marathon, by about a minute.
Sawe was not alone: Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha finished 11 seconds behind him on Sunday, also beating Kiptum’s record.
The two-hour marathon has long been seen as a major barrier in athletics; reflecting on his victory, Sawe told reporters, “I have shown them nothing is impossible; everything is possible.”