Kenya’s world record holder Sawe withdraws from Berlin Marathon

World record holder Sebastian Sawe, the first man to break the mythical two-hour barrier in marathons, has pulled out of next month’s Berlin Marathon because of injury, he announced.

The Berlin race, which will take place on September 27, was due to be Sawe’s first outing since April when he broke the two-hour barrier with a run of 1:59:30 to win the London Marathon.

“It is with a heavy heart that I must inform you that I am forced to withdraw from the Berlin Marathon due to injury,” the 31-year-old Kenyan wrote on Instagram on Thursday, but did not specify the nature of his injury.

“I had been looking forward to achieving something special on the streets of Berlin.”

The very flat course has made Berlin a favourite for potential records.

Sawe won the 2025 edition in Berlin with a time of 2:02:16 despite the heat and humidity and the fact he found himself alone at the front without a pacemaker from the 24th kilometre onward.

His world record could be under threat on December 6, with Ethiopian runner Yomif Kejelcha set to compete in the Valencia Marathon, which is also known as a very fast course.

Kejelcha was the second man to run a marathon in less than two hours, finishing 11 seconds behind Sawe in London, and on Sunday broke the world half-marathon record in 56:51.

Upon his return from his record-breaking race in London, Sawe received a hero’s welcome home in Kenya, with fans thronging the airport in Nairobi and the country’s president giving him cash and a car.