'I don't fear Sabastian Sawe and will beat his marathon world record', says rival
Jacob Kiplimo, who finished third in Sunday’s London Marathon, has claimed he can better Sebastian Sawe’s world record while maintaining that he does not fear his rival.
Kenya’s Sawe became the first human to break the two-hour marathon barrier with a time of 1:59:30 at the 2026 London Marathon, beating Kelvin Kiptum’s previous record (2:00:35), which he set at the Chicago Marathon in 2023.
But it was not just Sawe who impressed in the English capital, as Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha (1:59:41) and Uganda’s Kiplimo (2:00:28) also bettered Kiptum’s previous world record.
Despite becoming the fastest marathon runner of all time, Sawe, fuelled by two slices of bread and honey, explained how he feels he can still improve on his lightning-quick time.
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Speaking to BBC Sport the day after achieving the historic feat, the Kenyan said: “It was possible to run faster yesterday. Even 1:58 is possible.”
With the development of the so-called ‘super shoe’ set to continue in the coming years, it seems likely that the time could be further improved.
But it is not just Sawe who believes he can run the 26.2 miles in under 1:58.
'It's just a matter of time' - Kiplimo targets Sawe's world record
Speaking to The Independent, Kiplimo suggested that “it’s just a matter of time” before he also clocks a time of less than 1:58:00, with the Ugandan currently boasting a personal best of 2:00:28.
“I think maybe now it’s possible to run under 1:58,” he said.
“In some years, for me, it’s just a matter of time, but I think also right now I’m not thinking just about the world record, because I was just saying that if people are now running 1:59, I think the next goal, if you want to break that record, is to run 1:58. We never know in the future, but yes, for me it’s just a matter of time.”
Speaking about his most recent race, the Ugandan added: “I was happy to cross the finish line because, in the last 100m, I saw that I was still under the previous world record, so I tried to push. I think at halfway, or around 12 miles, I saw that things were changing and realised that maybe we were on world record pace.
“But when I split 35km, I thought these guys were running too fast. And it was amazing for me. I knew because I passed through 40km in 1:54, and for them they must have passed around 1:53. So I knew that the world record and sub-two was ahead.”
Despite crediting his rivals with helping raise the bar, Kiplimo maintained that he does not fear anyone – including Sawe.
“Always, I have said that I don’t fear anyone. When we meet to race, you never know, but I love competing with the strong guys.”
Kiplimo also revealed that he will take three weeks off following the London race.
Top 10 men's marathon times
1:59:30 – Sabastian Kimaru Sawe (Kenya), London, 26 Apr 2026
1:59:41 – Yomif Kejelcha (Ethiopia), London, 26 Apr 2026
2:00:28 – Jacob Kiplimo (Uganda), London, 26 Apr 2026
2:00:35 – Kelvin Kiptum (Kenya), Chicago, 8 Oct 2023
2:01:09 – Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya), Berlin, 25 Sep 2022
2:01:39 – Amos Kipruto (Kenya), London, 26 Apr 2026
2:01:41 – Kenenisa Bekele (Ethiopia), Berlin, 29 Sep 2019
2:01:48 – Sisay Lemma (Ethiopia), Valencia, 3 Dec 2023
2:02:16 – Benson Kipruto (Kenya), Tokyo, 3 Mar 2024
2:02:24 – John Korir (Kenya), Valencia, 7 Dec 2025
Topics: Athletics
Luke Davies