Sabastian Sawe broke a marathon world record, and became the first person to break the two-hour mark in men's marathon, as he reached the finish line in 1 hour, 59 minutes, 30 seconds. Running a marathon in less than two hours had obsessed runners for years, and that day in London, two men did it: the runner up, Yomif Kejelcha, also finished before two hours, only eleven seconds later.
In his return, he was greeted with honours by the Kenyan President William Ruto, who gifted him a car with a personalised licence plate with the numbers 1:59:30, and eight million shillings (53,000 euros), describing Sawe's feat as "not simply a sporting triumph, but a defining moment in the history of human endurance" (via EFE).
"Future generations will remember April 26, 2026, as the day a man broke a physical and psychological barrier that had long been considered insurmountable. And the name that will forever be linked to that moment will be that of Sebastian Sawe", forgetting that Kejelcha, from Ethiopia, also achieved the same feat, even if he finished second in the race.
Kenyan government awarded him a check for five million shillings, stipulated amount for awards on athletes, as well as an additional check for three million shillings for winning a gold medal in a major competition.
"I'm very happy because this victory has shown me what I was capable of. I've been training, so I had the record in mind, but I didn't expect to break it so soon", Sawe said.