World marathon record holder Sebastian Sawe arrived at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Wednesday to a hero’s welcome after becoming the first man in history to run a marathon in under two hours in an official race.
Sawe was received at the airport by Sports Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya, Sports Principal Secretary Elijah Mwangi and Athletics Kenya president Jackson Tuwei, alongside other government officials and athletics stakeholders.
The 30-year-old arrived under heavy security as fans, journalists and airport officials gathered at the arrivals section to welcome him back following his historic London Marathon victory.
Airport security officers created a clear path as crowds surged to catch a glimpse of the new world record holder.
Speaking at JKIA while receiving the athlete, Mvurya praised Sawe for flying the Kenyan flag high and said his victory had brought pride and unity to the country.
“Today we are here to welcome our champion who set the world record. Sawe, karibu nyumbani,” Mvurya said.
“Your victory is our victory as Kenyans. Everyone followed your race and were cheering you on.”
He said Sawe’s achievement had gone beyond athletics and inspired national unity at a time when the country needed moments of collective pride.
“Your victory has not only won hearts but it has united Kenyans,” the CS said.
Mvurya added that the government would continue investing in sports development and creating a better environment for athletes to thrive and compete at the highest global level.
“As a ministry, we will work to ensure we provide an enabling environment to nurture talent,” he said.
Speaking shortly after his arrival, Sawe said he was overwhelmed by the achievement and admitted that the victory had proved to him that he had the ability to break the record.
“I am very happy because this victory has shown me that I had the ability. I have been training hard, so I had thoughts about the record, but I did not expect to break it this early,” Sawe said.
"For everything we were able to do there in London, I didn't do it alone, I did it because of all of us and I would like us to enjoy it all and this is our record, all of us."
He said breaking the two-hour barrier in an official marathon race had been one of his biggest ambitions and dedicated the achievement to Kenya’s long-standing legacy in distance running.
Sawe made global headlines on Sunday after clocking 1:59:30 at the London Marathon, becoming the first man to officially run a sub-two-hour marathon in race conditions.
He broke the late Kelvin Kiptum’s previous world record of 2:00:35, set in 2023, and crossed the finish line more than one minute ahead of Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha, who also finished under two hours in 1:59:41.
Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo came third in 2:00:28.
Although Eliud Kipchoge became the first man to run under two hours in 2019, his 1:59:40 performance was not recognised as an official world record because it was achieved under controlled conditions during the INEOS Challenge.
Sawe’s London run therefore became the first sub-two-hour marathon in a record-eligible race.
He was already on world record pace after crossing the halfway mark in 1:00:29 and increased his speed in the second half before making a decisive move in the final 10 kilometres.
The athlete, who also won last year’s London Marathon in 2:02:27, has now maintained a perfect winning record in all four marathons he has contested.
Back in his home village, his parents described the victory as life-changing, saying the achievement had lifted the family and brought pride to the community.
They said they would no longer “walk on foot anymore”, reflecting on how their son’s success had transformed their lives.
The plane carrying Sebastian Sawe touches down at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport/ KENYA AIRWAYS
Comments 0
Sign in to join the conversation
Sign In Create AccountNo comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!