Kenya’s world record holder Sawe withdraws from Berlin Marathon
World record holder Sebastian Sawe has withdrawn from the upcoming Berlin Marathon due to an undisclosed injury. The Kenyan athlete, who recently broke the two-hour barrier, will miss the chance to defend his title on the fast Berlin course.
Why it matters
Sawe's absence removes a major draw from one of the world's most prestigious marathons and shifts the focus to other competitors like Yomif Kejelcha.
An undisclosed injury has forced Sebastian Sawe to withdraw from this month’s Berlin Marathon, he confirmed.
x whatsapp-stroke copylink google Add Al Jazeera on Google info Sabastian Sawe broke the two-hour barrier with a time of 1 hour 59 minutes 30 seconds at the London Marathon in April [Matthew Childs/Reuters] By AFP Published On 27 Aug 2026 27 Aug 2026 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.
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