World record holder Sabastian Sawe withdraws from Berlin Marathon due to injury

World-record holder Sabastian Sawe has pulled out of next month’s Berlin Marathon with an injury, event organisers have confirmed.

The Kenyan ran 1:59:30s in London this April to set a historic marker in the distance and had been set to take to the roads again in Germany to defend his title.

Neither the type of injury, nor the status of Sawe’s fitness, have been made public. “We would have very much liked to see back in Berlin,” race director Mark Milde said in a press release on Thursday. “All the more, we regret that he will not be able to compete this year. We wish him all the best for his recovery and hope to welcome him back to Berlin soon.”

Sawe’s world record in London was the first sub-two hour performance in legal conditions, seven years after his compatriot Eliud Kipchoge became the first to break that barrier at a curated event between INEOS and Nike.

“Anything is possible, it’s a matter of time,” he told The Athletic in an interview the day after his success in the British capital, when asked about the potential of improving on that time this autumn.

“My plan is to keep training. I kept to my (training) programme well.” the Kenyan said of the key factor behind running 1:59, noting that his training group contains many “strong guys”: major marathon winner Benson Kipruto, plus Amos Kipruto, who ran 2:01:39s for fourth in London.

The withdrawal means that Sawe will not repeat his 2025 season, when he recorded victories in London and Berlin, and he holds a perfect record of four wins from as many major marathons.

The 31-year-old’s win here last year was a sign of his world-record potential, as he clocked 2:02:16 in hot conditions to finish four minutes clear of the rest of the field. Berlin is considered a faster course of London because of a flatter profile and, typically, more reliable conditions.

His withdrawal, exactly a month out from the 2026 edition, means he will not defend his title. Sawe was vying to become the third Kenyan man since 2006 to win in consecutive years in the German capital, following Patrick Musyoki (2010 and 2011) and former world-record holder Kipchoge (four wins between 2017 and 2023).

Tigst Assefa, who took nine seconds off her own women’s-only world record in London, headlines the women’s field.

The Ethiopian ran 2:11:53 in Berlin with male pacemakers to set a world record in 2023 — a performance which now is third all-time — and is a three-time major marathon winner.