Sabastian Sawe withdrew from next month’s Berlin Marathon due to injury, missing what would have been his first marathon since becoming the first person to break two hours at the distance.
“It is with a heavy heart that I must inform you that I am forced to withdraw from @berlinmarathon due to injury,” was posted on Sawe’s social media. “I had been looking forward to achieving something special on the streets of Berlin and crossing the finish line at the Brandenburg Gate.”
Sawe, a 31-year-old from Kenya, won the London Marathon on April 26 in 1 hour, 59 minutes, 30 seconds, becoming the first person to run a record-eligible 26.2-mile race in under two hours.
He shattered the world record of 2:00:35 set by the late Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum at the 2023 Chicago Marathon.
Before that, Sawe won the 2025 Berlin Marathon in 2:02:16, which was the world’s fastest marathon time of 2025.
Before Kiptum and Sawe’s world records, the previous eight men’s marathon world records dating to 2003 were all set on Berlin’s pancake-flat course.
“I look forward to seeing you again soon at the starting line in Berlin,” Sawe posted.
