Sabastian Sawe made an impressive statement at the London Marathon on Sunday, winning his first major marathon in style. Running under unusually warm conditions, the Kenyan pulled away from the leading pack with about 10 kilometers to go and never looked back, crossing the finish line in 2 hours, 2 minutes, and 27 seconds.
Sawe made his decisive move at a water station, choosing to skip a drink while his rivals slowed down. His strategy paid off, as he opened a gap that no one could close. “I was well prepared for this race and that’s why it became easy for me to win,” he said after the race.
Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda, the half-marathon world record holder, finished second — 70 seconds behind Sawe — in his full marathon debut. Alexander Mutiso Munyao of Kenya secured third place in a tight photo finish against Abdi Nageeye of the Netherlands.
At 29, Sawe now adds London to his previous win in Valencia and becomes the fourth consecutive Kenyan man to win the London Marathon.
In the women’s race, Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa made history by setting the fastest time ever in a women-only marathon, finishing in 2:15:50. She pulled away from Kenya’s Joyciline Jepkosgei near the end, securing her first London Marathon title after second-place finishes in London and the Paris Olympics last year.
Assefa said the warmer weather this year helped her performance, unlike last year when colder temperatures caused her hamstring to tighten. Jepkosgei finished almost three minutes behind in second place, while Olympic champion Sifan Hassan came in third.