|
|
Printable Page
04/26 06:25 CDT Sabastian Sawe of Kenya becomes first person to run a
sub-2-hour marathon to win in London
Sabastian Sawe of Kenya becomes first person to run a sub-2-hour marathon to
win in London
LONDON (AP) --- Sabastian Sawe of Kenya has become the first person to break
the fabled 2-hour barrier in the marathon.
In a huge moment in sports history, Sawe smashed the men's world record by 65
seconds in winning the London Marathon in 1 hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds on
Sunday.
The second-place finisher, Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia, also dipped under 2
hours by crossing the line in 1:59:41 in his first-ever marathon, while Jacob
Kiplimo of Uganda broke the previous world-record time --- set by Kenya's
Kelvin Kiptum in Chicago in 2023 --- by seven seconds in finishing in 2:00:28.
The 29-year-old Sawe, who retained his title in London, thanked the huge crowds
who lined the streets of the British capital to cheer him on.
"What comes today is not for me alone," Sawe said, "but for all of us today in
London."
In an exhilarating sight, Sawe ran the second half of the marathon in 59
minutes and 1 second, pulling clear with Kejelcha after 30 kilometers and then
making his solo break in the final two kilometers as he sprinted along the
finish on The Mall.
Assefa wins fastest ever women's-only marathon A record was also set in the women's race, with Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa pulling away with about 500 meters remaining to win in 2:15:41 to defend the title in the fastest-ever time in a women's-only marathon. However, it was 16 seconds slower than the course record set by Paula Radcliffe in 2003 when it was a mixed race.
Swiss double in wheelchair races In the wheelchair races, there was a Swiss double with Marcel Hug powering to a sixth straight men's title -- and eighth in total -- and Catherine Debrunner beating Tatyana McFadden in a close finish to defend the title. ___ AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports
Assefa wins fastest ever women's-only marathon A record was also set in the women's race, with Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa pulling away with about 500 meters remaining to win in 2:15:41 to defend the title in the fastest-ever time in a women's-only marathon. However, it was 16 seconds slower than the course record set by Paula Radcliffe in 2003 when it was a mixed race.
Swiss double in wheelchair races In the wheelchair races, there was a Swiss double with Marcel Hug powering to a sixth straight men's title -- and eighth in total -- and Catherine Debrunner beating Tatyana McFadden in a close finish to defend the title. ___ AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports
