Sport

London Marathon, Sawe breaks the 2-hour barrier. Schwazer wins in Frankfurt at 41

Two historic feats in athletics: Sawe sets a new men's world record in the marathon, while Schwazer sets a national record in the long-distance march

26 April 2026

Sebastian Sawe, del Kenya, festeggia la vittoria nella gara maschile della Maratona di Londra, domenica 26 aprile 2026. (Foto AP/Ian Walton) Associated Press/ LaPresse Solo Italia e Spagna APS

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

One of the most iconic taboos of world sport falls at the London Marathon 2026: for the first time, a man officially drops under two hours on the queen distance. The feat is achieved by the Kenyan Sebastian Sawe who triumphs in 1h59'30", signing a new world record and rewriting the history of athletics. The 31-year-old, trained by the Italian Claudio Berardelli, achieved his fourth success in as many marathons run, confirming his dominance and projecting the discipline into a new dimension. Before him, only Eliud Kipchoge had managed to run under two hours, with 1h59'41" in Vienna in 2019, but in a non-sanctioned event.

Maratona, il kenyano Sawe primo uomo a scendere sotto le due ore
Photogallery14 foto

Making London's day even more extraordinary is the performance of Ethiopian Yomif Kejelcha, second on his debut over the distance in 1h59'41", also under the symbolic barrier. Third was Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo in 2h00'28", a time below the previous world record of 2h00'35" signed by the late Kelvin Kiptum in 2023. (Photo Tcs London Marathon)

It was a very fast race from the very start, with a half-time time of 1h00'29" and a select leading group already after half way. Sawe's decisive attack came between the 28th and 29th kilometres: only Kejelcha resisted, while Kiplimo gave way in the final. The second half of the race is impressive, closed in 59'01", with devastating partials between the 30th and 40th kilometres. The Kenyan completes the last 2,195 metres in 5'51", closing with a long and irresistible progression.

Ideal conditions, with temperatures between 12 and 15 degrees, and technological innovations - starting with an ultralight 96 gram shoe - contributed to the result, in front of some 59,000 participants.

In the women's race, success and world record for women only for the Ethiopian Tigst Assefa in 2h15'41", ahead of the Kenyans Hellen Obiri (2h15'53") and Joyciline Jepkosgei (2h15'55"). Here too, the finish was decisive, with Assefa able to pull away from her rivals in the last 500 metres and improve on the record already achieved the previous year.

Schwazer at 41 wins Frankfurt with Italia record

A feat by Alex Schwazer who, at 41 years of age, returns to the limelight and conquers the marathon in Frankfurt, setting a new Italian record over the 42.195 kilometre distance. The South Tyrolean won with a time of 3h01'55", clearly improving on the previous national record and confirming his competitiveness in the new speciality introduced in the international programme.

The race, held in Germany and valid for the German championships, saw Schwazer dominate from start to finish, leaving his opponents at a distance and finishing solo at the finish line. His time lowered the previous limit by around two minutes and was one of the best seasonal times in the world.

For the 50 km march Olympic champion at Beijing 2008, this is a return to the highest level, after complex years marked by disqualifications and extra-sports events. In Frankfurt, on the other hand, he demonstrated excellent condition, built up through targeted preparation for the new distance, which is shorter than the traditional 50 km but still extremely demanding.

The marathon marathon, which has recently been included in the athletics calendar, represents a novelty for the discipline's specialists. In this context, Schwazer's result takes on even greater value, because it immediately marks an important benchmark for the Italian and international movement.

With this victory and the national record, the Italian also relaunches his future ambitions, returning to the world marching scene and sending a strong signal in view of the next major international events.