Sabastian Sawe speaks as he is welcomed by Kenya's President William Ruto at State House on April 30, 2026 in Nairobi, Kenya. (Photos: CFP)
Sabastian Sawe is given a set of car number plates showing his marathon time by Kenya's President William Ruto at a ceremony at State House on April 30, 2026 in Nairobi, Kenya.
Kenyan marathon record-breaker Sabastian Sawe, left, returns the Kenyan flag to President William Ruto at State House in Nairobi, Kenya, Wednesday, April 30, 2026.
Kenyan marathon runner Sabastian Sawe was feted by President William Ruto on Thursday after becoming the first person to complete an official race in less than two hours.
Sawe's winning time of 1:59:30 at the London Marathon on Sunday shattered one of athletics' most elusive barriers, improving on the previous world record by more than one minute.
Ruto welcomed 31-year-old Sawe at State House on Thursday, awarding him eight million Kenyan shillings ($62,064).
"You have not only broken a record. You have expanded the horizon of human potential," Ruto said at a ceremony attended by government and athletics officials, "You have done what many believed could not be done. You have made the impossible possible, and in so doing, you have inspired a nation and the world."
Sawe received a hero's welcome on Wednesday night at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, as fans, family and friends flocked to see the athlete's return.
Sebastian Sawe, who set a world record at last week's London Marathon, speaks to the press as he is greeted by media and supporters on April 29, 2026 at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Kenya.
The previous world record of 2:00:35 was set by fellow Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum in Chicago in October 2023. Kiptum died in a car crash in 2024.
Another Kenyan, Eliud Kipchoge, broke the two-hour barrier in a specially staged event in 2019, but that did not count as an official record.