He is currently the fastest marathon runner in the world: Sabastian Sawe is amazed at the sports world and is considered a big favorite for the Berlin Marathon on Sunday. The big throw could succeed there. Is a magical brand falling?
Sabastian Sawe is a man of fast legs, not necessarily the big words.
This becomes clear again this Wednesday. A little shy, almost printed he stands in front of the camera from RTL/NTV. The 30-year-old has just landed in the German capital.
On Sunday and also in the days before, Sawe is in the spotlight. He is the runner of the hour. The man to beat in the marathon. And that may dare to litter. All of this in Berlin (Live from 8.30 a.m. on RTL and on RTL+).
He then almost smiles away from asking about his target time, a possible world record or even the magical two-hour mark. But only almost.
Sawe wants to take it really quickly
The Kenyan practices in the friendly understatement. He will run as quickly as it is possible for him, he says. World record? Let’s see, “we’ll see,” he says, putting on his SAWE grin.
Video: Marathon star with record announcement
He can be elicited so much: the personal best time is a goal. He had changed his race plan, the tactic, will run faster this time. You have to say even faster, more about that. Sawe wants to run as fast as possible with a few top pacemakers.
He will repeat this sentence several times in a similar way.
And the running world wonders: Yes, how quickly is it possible?
The rise of Sabastian Kimaru Sawe is impressive. Within a few months he scored the top marathon runner. He is the shooting star, the next big running miracle from Kenya.
The East African country is a runner. For many athletes, running is the ticket from poverty, the way to fame, money and recognition. Just as Germany produces great footballers from the beating of Thomas Müller or Florian Wirtz, Kenya Lauf-Stars produces. Icons. Eliud Kipchoge, the dominator from the past decade, for example – or Kelvin Kiptum, the world record holder who died much too early.
Now Sawe is in the spotlight. Parallels to Kiptum are pushing, other things clearly differentiate between.
As with Kiptum, Sawe’s rise was somewhat surprising for many. He did not make the first runs outside of Africa until 2022. First he made a name for himself over the half marathon distance and in the cross run. He became world champion in both disciplines (during cross -country skiing in the team classification). Sawe also indicated his skills on the street over the 10 kilometers.
Compared to Kiptum, however, the promotion on an international stage was only older. At the age of 22 or 23 years old, Sawe was already 30 years old.
Like the world record holder, Sawe with his first two runs immediately picked up into the absolute top of the world, immediately set big exclamation marks.
He celebrated his debut on the fast course in Valencia. There he ran a 2:02:05, a hellish time. A few months later, Sawe also won the second marathon of his career, the prestigious in London (2:02:27). The foundation stone was an increase in speed on the last ten kilometers.
Such quick debuts have absolute rarity, as well as running legend Haile Gebrelassie in conversation with RTL/NTV and sport.de confirmed.
“The special thing is that he ran the first two marathons super quickly. Usually the first marathons are not so fast. Great,” says the Ethiopian.
Both 2024 and 2025 comes the fastest marathon period in the world of Sawe. The S stands for Speed. Like Kiptum, he has so far rely on a negative split. Means: The second half of the approximately 21 km it runs faster than the first.
The experts are certain: the Kenyan has what it takes to crack the world record. And not only that. The magical two-hour mark could also fall. Already on Sunday?
According to Gebreselassie, the best place for this is Berlin. “The course is simply very good, the weather is always wonderful. There is little air pollution and distraction in the run,” explains the running icon. In fact, the weather will play a crucial role. If it gets too warm in the morning, this could contain a record attempt. Sawe’s words can expect a quick pace.
What makes Sabastian Sawe so special
Gebrselassie raves about Sawe: “He is young, very talented, he is made for the marathon.”
The German Berlin starter Hendrik Pfeiffer sees an exciting situation. “I think it will be the goal of running the sound barrier of two hours.”
RTL commentator René Hiepen nobs Sawe as an “exceptional athlete”. “It is truly impressive to see him live.”
He cannot run away from competitors before the superlatives. That is probably a curse and a blessing at the same time. The expectations of Sawe are gigantic.
The two-hour mark was once considered unreachable. Gebreselassie ran the world record in 2:03:59 in 2008, today there are still no 35 seconds.
The two-hour brand wobbles
This is also due to the fact that sport and technology develop. Shoes and meals in particular play a role, including the extremely fast pacemakers. Gebrselassie is certain: if he had already had these requirements in 2007/08 if he had already cracked the two hours.
There is no question for him that someone like Sawe will soon be able to do it. It is almost “simple,” says the legend.
Of course, this is an exaggeration. The pace is murderous. To run under two hours, it takes a speed of over 21 km/h. In other words, 2:50 minutes per kilometer. 14:13 minutes to 5 km or the 100 m 422 times in 17 seconds. In short: brutally fast.
Maybe you shouldn’t overload the runners with the recorder expectations. On the other hand: In the same way, athletics often works. So she generates attention.
Another problem: With the times of Sawe, a latent suspicion is always running. All the more because Kenya has an obvious doping problem and some well -known runners have been blocked in recent years.
Unusual advance in anti-doping fight
While Kiptum was still taciturn here, Sawe is looking for the offensive with the help of his supplier. The 30-year-old has recently proclaimed a voluntary control initiative in cooperation with the integrity unity of the World Association. This comprises at least 25 anti-doping tests in the two months before Berlin, and surprising tests outside of competitions should also be included.
His main sponsor supports the testers financially. His team emphasizes that these are independent. “I hope to set an example, to encourage others to act and to show that clean performance is possible,” said Sawe, who has no desire for general suspicion.
Is that enough to eliminate all question marks forever? Probably not. The problems are more profound. And if the Kenyan actually get the record and crack the two-hour brand, doubts will be expressed. He knows that too.
In addition to the stopwatch, his biggest international challenger Milkesa Mengesha (Ethiopia/Best time: 2:03:17 hours) and Gabriel Geay (Tanzania/Best time: 2:03:00) should be for the shooting star. The Kenyan emphasizes: “I’m not afraid of anyone.”
For Berlin, Sawe pushed aside a possible start at the World Athletics Championships. The reason: on the flat route, with pacemakers and lower temperature, the chances of faster times are significantly higher than in Tokyo.
Berlin is a good place for Sawe anyway. In 2023 he already won the half marathon in the German metropolis. He knows the Berlin asphalt. “Berlin is a beautiful city,” he says soberly.
He will let his legs speak for everything else.