Sabastian Sawe received a hero’s welcome when he returned to Kenya on Wednesday after becoming the first person ever to complete a marathon in under two hours at the London race over the weekend.
Sawe was welcomed back to his country by his parents and Sports Minister Salim Mvurya, who hailed the runner’s accomplishment at the London Marathon as “a win for Kenya.”
Sawe, 31, pulled off the feat, long considered unthinkable, on Sunday when he won in a time of 1 hour, 59 minutes, 30 seconds. He beat the previous men’s world record by 65 seconds.
Before disembarking upon arrival at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Sawe said he was proud to have “made a great achievement in life” and was planning to “try and lower the record further.”
He was adorned with a traditional wreath of twigs to symbolise victory.
Speaking at a press conference, Sawe said: “I am happy to celebrate this win with you. I didn’t expect it would be this way. I am very grateful.
“For everything we did in London, I didn’t do it for myself alone, I did it for all of us.”
Traditional dancers sang his praises as he then climbed into a luxury government vehicle as part of the “heroic welcome” hailed by the sports minister, who said Sawe would be honoured on Thursday.
His coach, Claudio Berardelli, said he knew the athlete was in “extremely good shape”.
“I knew that maybe he could have run fast, but I was probably not expecting a sub-2 hours. But he was really in good shape.”
His parents said they knew their son was destined for greatness even as a child, and his mother recounted how he sprinted during bath time.
“He would run too fast. So, I would say to myself, this boy will shine for me one day,” Emily Sawe said.
His father recounted watching Sunday’s marathon at his brother’s house because his television lacked a clear signal.
“The moment my son pulled in front, I walked out and didn’t see him finish the race. I watched the replay afterwards. I was so happy, extremely happy. We screamed so much that now it is hard to swallow anything,” Simion Kiplagat Sawe said.
Sawe was introduced to professional running by his uncle, Abraham Chepkirwok, who ran the 800 meters for Uganda at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Sawe won the Valencia Marathon in 2024, clocking 2:02:05. He went into Sunday’s race in London as the defending champion.
His father said Sawe is disciplined and determined: “Even now, he still says that record was not enough; he wants to lower it further.”
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