Followers confirmed as much as Sunday’s London Marathon, the third cease on the 2026 Abbott World Marathon Majors circuit, anticipating quick performances, however ended up witnessing historical past. The defending champion, Kenya’s Similar Sebastiandelivered an unbelievable efficiency to interrupt the two-hour barrier, with Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha additionally dipping beneath the mark in a surprising marathon debut. On the ladies’s facet, defending champion Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia pulled away from Kenya’s Hellen Obiri to decrease her personal women-only world file, ending in 2:15:41.
Males’s race
Pre-race expectations centred round Sawe and Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimowho, together with a deep area, had been anticipated to problem the London course file of two:01:25 set by the late Kelvin Kiptum in 2023. Sunday’s climate situations had been excellent, and a big lead group stayed collectively by way of the primary half.
With lower than 10 kilometres left, Sawe started to push the tempo, and the group thinned shortly, with solely Kejelcha hanging on. Sawe broke away over the closing miles, charging forward within the residence stretch and crossing the road in 1:59:30, turning into the primary athlete to run beneath two hours in a record-eligible marathon. Kejelcha adopted in 1:59:41, additionally beneath the barrier, whereas Kiplimo rounded out the rostrum in 2:00:28. The whole podium ran sooner than the earlier course file, and behind them, one other 5 males completed in beneath 2:03.
“I really feel good, I’m so blissful. It’s a day to recollect for me,” Sawe informed media post-race.
Watch Sabastian Sawe 🇰🇪 clock 1:59:30 to SMASH the world file within the marathon by a whole minute!!!!
The primary man in historical past to run beneath 2 hours. #LondonMarathon
🎥 @sportnmedia2 pic.twitter.com/2JTlXEU3ts
— Owen (@_OwenM_) April 26, 2026
Prime 10 males
1 Sabastian Sawe (KEN) 01:59:30
2 Yomif Kejelcha (ETH) 01:59:41
3 Jacob Kiplimo (UGA) 02:00:28
4 Amos Kipruto (KEN) 02:01:39
5 Tamirat Tola (ETH) 02:02:5
6 Deresa Geleta (ETH) 2:03:23
7 Addis Ababa Gobena (ETH) 2:05:23
8 Geoffrey Kamworor (KEN) 2:05:38
9 Peter Lynch (IRL) 2:06:08
10 Mohamed Mohamed (GBR) 2:06:14
Girls’s race
The ladies’s race settled early, with defending champion Assefa, Obiri (who gained Olympic marathon bronze in 2024) and Joyciline Jepkosgeithe previous half-marathon world file holder, breaking away from the sector and shifting steadily forward. They got here by way of midway in 1:06:12, 30 seconds sooner than Assefa’s record-breaking tempo final 12 months, and though the tempo eased barely within the second half, it was nonetheless setting them up for a speedy, shut end.
Assefa started to cost clear over the ultimate stretch and held it till she crossed the road, ending in 2:15:41 to take 9 seconds off the women-only world file she set in London final 12 months. (The ladies’s race in London is run with out male pacemakers, which is why the mark is assessed individually.) Obiri adopted in 2:15:53, with Jepkosgei simply behind in 2:15:55.
Prime 10 ladies
1 Tigst Assefa (ETH) 02:15:41
2 Hellen Obiri (KEN) 02:15:53
3 Joyciline Jepkosgei (KEN) 02:15:55
4 That is what Azimraw mentioned (ETH) 02:19:13
5 Catherine Reline Amanang’ole (KEN) 02:21:20
6 Eunice Room (BRN) 2:23:44
7 Eilish McColgan (GBR) 2:24:51
8 Julia Paternain (WORTH) 2:25:47
9 Rose Harvey (GBR) 2:26:14
10 Marta Galimany (ESP) 2:27:38
For full outcomes of the 2026 TCS London Marathon, head right here.
