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. Defending champion, Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe, delivered an unbelievable efficiency to interrupt the two-hour barrier, with Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha additionally dipping below the mark in a surprising marathon debut. On the ladies’s aspect, defending champion Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia pulled away from Kenya’s Hellen Obiri to decrease her personal women-only world report, ending in 2:15:41.
Males’s race
Pre-race expectations centred round Sawe and Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo, who, together with a deep area, have been anticipated to problem the London course report of two:01:25 set by the late Kelvin Kiptum in 2023. Sunday’s climate situations have been perfect, 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 below two hours in a record-eligible marathon. Kejelcha adopted in 1:59:41, additionally below the barrier, whereas Kiplimo rounded out the rostrum in 2:00:28. The whole podium ran sooner than the earlier course report, and behind them, one other 5 males completed in below 2:03.
“I really feel good, I’m so joyful. It’s a day to recollect for me,” Sawe informed media post-race.
Watch Sabastian Sawe 🇰🇪 clock 1:59:30 to SMASH the world report within the marathon by a whole minute!!!!
The primary man in historical past to run below 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 Addisu Gobena (ETH) 2:05:23
8 Geoffrey Kamworor (KEN) 2:05:38
9 Peter Lynch (IRL) 2:06:08
10 Mahamed Mahamed (GBR) 2:06:14
Girls’s race
The ladies’s race settled early, with defending champion Assefa, Obiri (who received Olympic marathon bronze in 2024) and Joyciline Jepkosgei, the previous half-marathon world report 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 yr, 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 report she set in London final yr. (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 girls
1 Tigst Assefa (ETH) 02:15:41
2 Hellen Obiri (KEN) 02:15:53
3 Joyciline Jepkosgei (KEN) 02:15:55
4 Degitu Azimeraw (ETH) 02:19:13
5 Catherine Reline Amanang’ole (KEN) 02:21:20
6 Eunice Chumba (BRN) 2:23:44
7 Eilish McColgan (GBR) 2:24:51
8 Julia Paternain (URU) 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.
