Kenya’s Sebastian Sawe Wins At Elite Men’s London Marathon 

By Lisbeth Micheni, Kenya 

Sebastian Sawe from Kenya secured victory in the elite men’s London Marathon on April 27, finishing with a time of 2:02:25.

As he crossed the finish line, he celebrated by raising his arms and sticking out his tongue, having surged ahead around the 16-mile mark and executed negative split times.

At 29 years old, Sawe still has ample opportunity to enhance his marathon achievements. Although he claimed the win, he was unable to surpass the course record set by the late Kelvin Kiptum, who completed the 2023 London Marathon in 2:01:25.

While there was buzz surrounding Jacob Kiplimo, known for his remarkable half-marathon record, he finished second, clocking in at 2:03:37, 70 seconds behind Sawe.

This victory marked Sawe’s second marathon win out of two attempts, following his success at the Valencia Marathon four months earlier.

Ugandan runner Jacob Kiplimo made his marathon debut, finishing in second, while Alexander Mutiso Munyao, the defending champion, secured third place with a time of 2:04:20.

The battle for third was extremely close, with Mutiso and Abdi Nageeye of the Netherlands racing neck and neck. Initially, third place was awarded to Nageeye, but the decision was later corrected in favor of Mutiso, highlighting just how tight the competition was.

Two-time world record holder Eliud Kipchoge experienced another challenging race, finishing sixth in 2:05:25. Regarded as one of the greatest marathon runners in history, Kipchoge started strong but was unable to keep pace with the leading pack.

Sebastian Sawe’s remarkable performance in Valencia, where he achieved the fifth-fastest men’s marathon time in December 2024 with a finish of 2:02:05, adds to his growing reputation as a formidable competitor in long-distance running.