Kenyan runner Sawe wins London Marathon after solo breakaway
LONDON (AP)– Running his very first major marathon in abnormally warm temperature levels, Sabastian Kawe made it look easy.The Kenyan runner made a solo breakaway with about 10 kilometers left and never appeared like wavering in the sunshine as he travelled to triumph in the London Marathon on Sunday. Sawe pulled away from a prominent group of 9 runners about 90 minutes into the race and completed in 2 hours, 2 minutes and 27 seconds.Advertisement Sawe made
his relocation when his competitors slowed down at a beverages station– opting not to take any water regardless of temperatures that sneaked toward 18 C (64 )as the elite runners were ending up.”I was well gotten ready for this race and that’s why it became easy for me to win,”Kawe said.Jacob Kiplimo, the half marathon world record holder who was making his complete marathon launching, was the only runner able to provide chase however might never ever get near to eliminating the space. The Ugandan finished 70 seconds back in second place.The 29-year-old Sawe’s only previous marathon win came in Valencia in 2024. This was his very first start in one of the 6 marathon”majors”– Tokyo,
Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York City City– but it’s not likely to be his last.Advertisement “It does provide me hope that in the future, the marathon will be so essential to me, and be so easy for me, “he said.He is the fourth Kenyan runner in a row to win the males’s
race in London.In a tight sprint for 3rd place, Alexander Mutiso Munyao of Kenya beat Abdi Nageeye of the Netherlands in an image finish.Assefa sets women-only record In the
women’s race, Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia secured her first London Marathon title after retreating from Joyciline Jepkosgei near the end.Assefa offseted second-place finishes in London and the Paris Olympics in 2015, ending up in
2:15:50. It was the fastest ever time in
a women’s -just marathon– however 25 seconds slower than the course record set by Paula Radcliffe in 2003 when it was a combined race.Advertisement The weather in London was a lot
warmer this year than in 2024, which Assefa said was to her benefit.”Last year I did have some issues with the cold, my hamstring tightened up towards the end of the race,” Assefa stated through an interpreter.”This year the weather suited me really well.” Assefa adds this win to
2 previous Berlin
Marathon titles.Jepkosgei, the 2021 London winner, was almost three minutes back after tiring near the end.Olympic champ Sifan Hassan fell behind
about halway through the race and ended up third, 3:10 behind.Hug and Debrunner protect wheelchair titles Six-time Paralympic champ Catherine Debrunner defended her title in the women’s wheelchair race for a third London victory, beating her own course record by completing
in 1:34:18– just two seconds off the world record she set at the Berlin marathon in 2023.
Advertisement American Susannah Scaroni was second and Debrunner’s compatriot Manuela Schar third.Defending champion Marcel Hug of Switzerland won the males’s wheelchair race after holding back Japanese opposition Tomoki Suzuki.Hug ended up in 1:25:25, 44 seconds ahead of Suzuki. Jetze Plat of the Netherlands was 3rd, while eight-time London Marathon winner David Weir of Britain went for 6th. ___ AP Sports: https://apnews.com/sports