‘The secret is trusting the process’: Sawe wins London Marathon as Assefa digs in
- Novice Kenyan sees off elite rivals with astonishing burst
- Tigst Assefa wins women’s race after gruelling battle
On one of the hottest days in London marathon history, it was a novice over 26.2 miles who played it coolest of all. As temperatures climbed towards 20C, almost everyone in the elite men’s field – including Eliud Kipchoge, the greatest ever, and the Olympic champion Tamirat Tola – slowed at the 30km drinks station to grab their bottles and quench their thirst.
However one athlete, Sabastian Sawe, decided water could wait and in only his second marathon the 29‑year‑old Kenyan summoned a kick so devastating that he left everyone else floundering within seconds. “I saw that I had an opportunity to push and I did,” Sawe said after crossing the line in 2hr 2min 27sec, the second quickest time in London marathon history.