Marathon record-breaker Sabastian Sawe has received a hero’s welcome home in Kenya, with fans thronging the airport in Nairobi and the country’s president giving him cash and a car.
Sawe posted the first-ever sub-two-hour marathon time of 1:59:30 when he won the London Marathon on Sunday, shattering one of athletics’ most elusive barriers and improving on the previous world record by more than one minute.
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The 31-year-old was the toast of the nation when he arrived home late on Wednesday and was greeted by jubilant fans and family members.
The aircraft carrying Sawe was greeted with a traditional water cannon salute when it landed at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
Kenya’s President William Ruto welcomed Sawe at State House and awarded him eight million Kenyan shillings ($62,064) as well as a car.
Chaotic and celebratory scenes awaited Sawe as he gave a short media conference at the airport, according to Al Jazeera’s Catherine Soi.
“People have come to celebrate him, they say that he’s a hero,” Soi reported from the airport, where Sawe’s supporters told Al Jazeera the distance runner had made them proud.
Many fans admitted that they were unaware of Sawe until his feat made the news, and they watched snippets of his race.
“Seeing him in real life was very special, and it was also inspiring for me to know that he’s just an ordinary person like me,” Sawe fan David Gitonga told Al Jazeera.
“If he can achieve such great things, then it means that I also have the potential to do it.”
Others said they were encouraged to push their own limits and “maybe do better” than what Sawe had achieved.
He was welcomed at the airport by his parents and Sports Minister, Salim Mvurya, who hailed the runner’s accomplishment as “a win for Kenya.”
He was adorned with a traditional wreath made from twigs to symbolise victory.
Traditional dancers sang his praises as he then climbed into a luxury government vehicle as part of the “heroic welcome” hailed by the sports minister.
Sawe’s parents said that they knew he was destined for greatness even as a child. His mother recounted how he sprinted during bath time.
“He would run too fast. So, I would say to myself, this boy will shine for me one day,” Emily Sawe told the Associated Press news agency.
His father recounted some tension watching Sunday’s marathon because the television lacked a clear signal.
“The moment my son pulled in front, I walked out and didn’t see him finish the race. I watched the replay afterwards. I was so happy, extremely happy. We screamed so much that now it is hard to swallow anything,” Simion Kiplagat Sawe said.
Sawe said he was proud to have “made a great achievement in life” and was planning to “try and lower the record further.”
‘Made the impossible possible’
Analysing the race, his coach Claudio Bertelli – whom Sawe joined in 2020 – said the runner was leading throughout.
“He followed the pacemakers for 27 kilometres (16.7 miles), and then from there he took control of the race, pushing the pace with a lot of courage, a lot of determination,” the veteran Italian coach said.
“A lot of people have come here, they want to see him and celebrate him,” Soi said from amongst a crowd of supporters at the airport.
“They say this has made a huge impact, especially when it comes to young athletes, young runners who just want to be like him.”
President Ruto lauded Sawe at a ceremony marking his extraordinary achievement.
“You have not only broken a record, you have expanded the horizon of human potential,” he said at the ceremony attended by government and sports officials.
“You have done what many believed could not be done,” the president told Sawe.
“You have made the impossible possible, and in so doing, you have inspired a nation and the world.”
Sawe gave President Ruto an autographed Adidas Adizero shoe worn during Sunday’s marathon. He also autographed a photo of the moment he broke the world record.
The previous world record of 2:00:35 was set by fellow Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum in Chicago in October 2023. Kiptum died in a car crash in 2024.
Another Kenyan, Eliud Kipchoge, broke the two-hour barrier in a specially staged event in 2019, but that did not count as an official record.
Sawe made his marathon debut with victory in Valencia in December 2024 and has won every one of his races over the distance since.
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