The 31-year-old broke the previous world record of 2:00:35, set by the late Kelvin Kiptum at the 2023 Chicago Marathon.

Runner-up Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia also shattered the two-hour barrier in 1:59:41, while Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo took bronze in 2:00:28. Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia broke her own women 's-only world record in 2:15:41, beating the record of 2:15:50 she set last year in London. Kenyans Hellen Obiri and Joyciline Jepkosgei finished second and third, respectively.

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From the outset, the race was set up for something special. The lead group - featuring Sawe, Kejelcha, three-time world cross-country champion Jacob Kiplimo, Olympic champion Tamirat Tola, 2022 London Marathon winner Amos Kipruto, and Deresa Geleta - moved through the early miles at a controlled but ambitious pace, hitting 5km in 14:14 (2:00:03 pace).

They remained together through 10km (28:34) and 15km (43:10) before reaching halfway in 1:00:29.

The lead sextet continued to run together for the next 10 kilometres, but by 30km (1:26:03), they had begun to string out, the sustained pace starting to take its toll.

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The decisive phase came between 30km and 35km. A 13:54 5km split saw Sawe and Kejelcha edge clear, dropping Kiplimo, who remained in third some 21 seconds adrift. The leading duo then accelerated again, covering the next 5km in 13:42 as the likelihood of a sub-two-hour finish increased with each step.

Defending champion Sawe made his move with one mile remaining, finally breaking clear of Kejelcha and pressing on alone. He crossed the line in 1:59:30, taking 65 seconds off the previous world record set by the late Kelvin Kiptum in Chicago in 2023 and becoming the first athlete to run a legal sub-two-hour marathon, surpassing Eliud Kipchoge's 1:59:41 exhibition performance from 2019.

Kejelcha followed in an Ethiopian record of 1:59:41, the second-fastest performance in history and the quickest ever marathon debut, while Kiplimo secured third place in a Ugandan record of 2:00:28, also inside the previous world record.

Further back, Amos Kipruto finished fourth in 2:01:39, with Tola (2:02:59) and Geleta (2:03:23) completing a remarkable top six. The women's race also delivered a performance of historic significance, led by defending champion Tigst Assefa.

A lead quartet of Assefa, two-time Boston and New York champion Hellen Obiri, 2021 London Marathon winner Joyciline Jepkosgei, and Catherine Reline Amanang'ole set the early tempo, passing 5km in 15:39 (2:12:02 pace) and 10km in 31:03, already opening a significant gap on the chasers.

Amanang'ole began to drop back before 15km (46:39), leaving a leading trio of Assefa, Obiri, and Jepkosgei. They reached halfway in 1:06:12 (2:12:24 pace), half a minute quicker than Assefa's record-breaking run the previous year.

The trio remained together through much of the second half, extending their advantage over the rest of the field. Their pace dropped, and a sub-2:15 finish slipped out of reach, but they remained on course to improve Assefa's women-only world record.

In the closing stages, Assefa gradually edged clear to secure victory in 2:15:41, taking nine seconds off her own global mark. Behind her, Obiri - making her London debut - finished second in a PB of 2:15:53, with Jepkosgei close behind in 2:15:55, marking the first time three women have finished inside 2:16 in the same race. (IANS)