World Athletics chief Sebastian Coe on Friday hailed Sabastian Sawe, who became the first person to break the mythical two-hour mark during the London Marathon, telling AFP it was a feat that captured the imagination of the entire world.
The 31-year-old Kenyan won a stunning race around the streets of London last Sunday in 1hr 59min 30sec, edging a tight battle with Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha, who also finished in under two hours.
“There was extraordinary enthusiasm,” Coe, a double Olympic gold medallist, told AFP in his first interview since Sawe smashed the record.
“I couldn’t switch a television on or listen to the radio or open a newspaper or go online without a lot of coverage. It was a leading story that day.”
Sawe’s time was more than one minute faster than the previous world record of 2:00:35 set by his compatriot, the late Kelvin Kiptum, in Chicago in 2023.
Sabastian Sawe also eclipsed the 1:59:40 posted by another Kenyan, Eliud Kipchoge, in a 2019 challenge in Vienna when he was aided by a guiding laser light and dozens of pacemakers.
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“Breaking the two-hour barrier in a competition, not a choreographed one, but in an absolutely full-blooded competition, I think did capture global imagination,” said Coe.
The 69-year-old also brushed aside criticism of the new generation of carbon-plated, ultra-light foam shoes, which have contributed to the steady descent of the marathon record.
“I think you would have an interesting reflection if you spoke to the coaches and said to them: Is your coaching less important than the quality of the shoes the athletes are wearing?” said Coe.
“There’s a balance, and at World Athletics, we really take that responsibility very seriously.
“But I don’t think it’s our job to strangle innovation. Our job is to make sure that the integrity of the competition remains in the right balance, and at the moment I think it is.”